DuckDuckGo's Browser Caught Allowing Microsoft Trackers Despite Strong Privacy Reputation

DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine, and has become an alternative to giants like Google Search and Microsoft Bing.

And just like Google and Microsoft, DuckDuckGo also has a web browser. Since the very beginning, DuckDuckGo's search engine, and its browser, have been the great advocates of privacy and transparency.

For more than many times, DuckDuckGo wages moral wars against Google over its processing of personal user data.

But DuckDuckGo seems to not be what it claims to be.

A security audit by researcher Zack Edwards, found that DuckDuckGo's browser allows the execution of Microsoft's trackers.

While the browser does block trackers from Google and Meta, but it doesn't block some of Microsoft's.

The reason is because of an agreement between the DuckDuckGo and Microsoft.

According to DuckDuckGo CEO and founder Gabriel Weinberg, DuckDuckGo's browser allows Microsoft to track users on third-party sites due to a "syndicated search content contract" DuckDuckGo made with Microsoft.

Weinberg said that the agreement is confidential. While he cannot go through the details, what he can say is that, the deal doesn't affect DuckDuckGo's search engine.

It's worth noting here, that DuckDuckGo uses other search engines to power some of its search results. Among its partners, include Microsoft Bing.

It's already known that clicking on an advertisement provided by Microsoft on DuckDuckGo will have DuckDuckGo send the person's IP address to Microsoft’s advertising service.

This is explicitly stated on the company website and in the company search engine.

But what DuckDuckGo never have disclosed before is that, the company has a deal that goes much deeper than that.

Weinberg insists that Microsoft cannot see what users are doing on DuckDuckGo and that DuckDuckGo's browser blocks all cookies from Microsoft. But if users visit a website that contains trackers from Microsoft, DuckDuckGo will send users data to Microsoft's services, like Bing and LinkedIn.

And because the deal is confidential, Weinberg cannot explain how Microsoft will use user data it obtained from DuckDuckGo.

Read: DuckDuckGo Debuts Its Privacy-First Browser On Desktop, Starting On MacOS

For what is worth, DuckDuckGo has made the biggest mistake since its inception.

In the era where trackers are used to track users wherever they go online, DuckDuckGo has claimed from the very beginning that it's an "anti-Google" company. It claims to be transparent, and block trackers, and prevent users from being followed by industry leaders that feed on user data.

And here, DuckDuckGo in sending user data to Microsoft for advertising purposes and more, is seen as a violation of users' privacy.

Beyond the tracking itself, the worst part is that DuckDuckGo has never disclosed the authorization of the Microsoft trackers. until a security researcher has figured it out.

For all this time, DuckDuckGo has gained users' trust. But now, it's violating it.

But regardless, Weinberg ensures that DuckDuckGo browser users can "still get significantly more privacy protection" than with Chrome, Safari, Firefox and other browsers.

Weinberg added that "this case deals with superior protection that most browsers don’t even attempt to do, i.e. blocking third-party tracking scripts before they load on third-party websites."

Knowing that the reputational damage has already been done, in the end, Weinberg said that his team is working to eliminate this type of tracking and be more transparent in the descriptions of the app store.