DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo's Policies

• DuckDuckGo promises to be a secure search engine that doesn't track you, doesn't collect or share personal info, and comes with a lot of goodies.
• DontTrack.us lays out the general problems with Google and how DuckDuckGo works in contrast.
• DontBubble.us talks about filter bubbles, which DuckDuckGo doesn't create.

Goodies

• DuckDuckGo has a ton of built-in "goodies" that allow you perform tasks, such as converting units and generating QR codes.
• Like the goodies, DDG has "bangs" which allow you to search other sites. Searches to these sites look like they originate from DDG's servers, so it protects the privacy of your search (at least the first pageload). Examples:

edward snowden !g - Google

chelsea manning !w - Wikipedia

richard stallman !yt - YouTube

debian !gi - Google Images

glenn greenwald !n - Google News

free software foundation !gm - Google Maps

jingoism !d - Free Dictionary

Full list here

Setting DuckDuckGo as Default Search Engine

Firefox

• DDG addon for Firefox
• DDG search plugin for Firefox
• DDG as default in Firefox

Chrome/Chromium

• DDG extension for Chrome/Chromium
• DDG as default in Chrome/Chromium

Other Desktop Browsers

• DDG instructions for other browsers
• DDG for even more alternative browsers

Mobile Devices

• DDG app for Android
• DDG settings for Android
• DDG for iPhone, iPad (iOS)
• DDG as default on iOS

Potential Problems

We've been recommending DuckDuckGo on this wiki for some time, and (as of September 2013) it still seems to respect user privacy. However, it is based in the United States and, as such, may be vulnerable to surveillance programs/police searches/laws like PRISM, FISA, and PATRIOT. Other search engines like Startpage and Ixquick may also be vulnerable to (at least) programs like PRISM, but they are not based in the U.S. (at least not primarily). We invite you to decide for yourself and discuss this issue.

Readings

• DDG Privacy Policy
• Alexander Hanff's post about problems with DDG.
• Discussion in DuckDuckGo's forum, including actions DDG has taken to remedy some of the problems and Hanff's response.
• PRISM Break's statement on these search engines: "Startpage is proprietary, hosted in the USA/Netherlands, and provides you with anonymized Google search results (including images). DuckDuckGo is partly proprietary, hosted in the USA, and provides you with anonymized Bing search results. Pick your poison." DuckDuckGo also has servers in the EU (see forum discussion).
• PRISM fears spur DuckDuckGo's growth, although some think it's doesn't matter.

Alternatives to DuckDuckGo

• Startpage
• Ixquick

Decentralized Solutions

• These can be be installed and run locally on your computer or Web server, but take a bit more work than popping a search term into your browser or phone app.
• YaCy
• Seeks Protect