DuckDuckGo Tracker Blocker Now On Browsers, Mobile
The Internet can be a scary place, and not just because of those who lurk in the shadows, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting prey. Even those that swear to respect users' privacy are often the first ones to also violate them. There is no shortage of tools and services that promise to do better and save you from yourself and from these tech giants. DuckDuckGo is one such champion, best known for its privacy-focused search engine. Now it's breaking new ground by updating its tools to keep you safe and anonymous not just when searching but when doing anything on the web.
In addition to a search site ala Google.com, DuckDuckGo also has web browser extensions and mobile apps available to make sure your searches remain private. But DDG, as it is nicknamed, can only ensure your privacy while you're on their site. Of course, no one ever stays within search engines only.
Now DuckDuckGo is addressing the problem of staying safe and private on any website you go to. First of all, it can now offer Privacy Grades for websites you go to. On a scale of A to F, it reports on the hidden trackers, encryption availability, and privacy practices of that website.
Perhaps the most interesting one will be the tracking blocker. Even if you're not browsing on Google of Facebook directly, websites can often embed ads or objects that connect it to tracker networks that have the same effect. DDG now informs you of those and, using its Privacy Protection, block as many of them as it can.
DuckDuckGo's browser extension and mobile app has also been updated to take you to a website's encrypted version, even if the website doesn't offer it up front. The more curious can also gain access to more human-friendly versions of Privacy Policies of some of the most used websites. And, of course, the apps retain their ability to let you search in complete privacy. DuckDuckGo's extension is available for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari while its mobile apps are on both Android (Google Play Store and F-droid) and iOS.
SOURCE: DuckDuckGo