- DuckDuckGo is currently the number one alternative to Google for privacy-concerned users.
- A common misconception is that DuckDuckGo is a VPN since it can protect your privacy.
- Although DuckDuckGo is an efficient privacy-focused service, it’s still far from being a VPN.
- Check out our guide and learn more about DuckDuckGo, as well as protecting your privacy.
Just recently, judges in Belgium ruled that Facebook broke privacy laws by deploying cookies and social plug-ins, among other technologies to track Internet users’ activity across the web.
This was a huge blow for Facebook as it uses such personal data collected from users to sell targeted advertising. However, the social media giant couldn’t clarify clearly how user digital activity is used.
For this, Facebook faces fines of up to $124 million, with a daily fine rate if it doesn’t comply with the court’s ruling to stop tracking web browsing habits of Belgians, in addition to destroying any data they obtained illegally.
This just shows how much you continue to be tracked online, whether you want to accept it or not, and whether it’s by Facebook or even Google, or your favorite website – most, if not all, websites serve up ads tailored to your browsing behavior.
The proverbial adage that says you can run but can’t hide, may not hold water as such because on the internet, you can actually run and hide from online tracking, and here are some three quick and easy things you can do now to protect yourself.
DuckDuckGo vs VPN
It might be easy to confuse them since they are both tools that protect your anonymity and privacy. However, they are not the same. DuckDuckGo is a search engine.
It’s a website that can be accessed with any device that is connected to the Internet and has a web browser. On the other hand, a VPN is used to protect your very connection to the Internet.
The device connects to a VPN server through a tunnel, and that VPN server then connects to the Internet. While connected to a VPN, you can, and should, use DuckDuckGo to perform your web searches online.
Does DuckDuckGo really not track you?
DuckDuckGo employs a set of measures in order to ensure they have the ability to monetize and maintain operations and, at the same time, to not have and store any personal data from you.
They don’t store any cookies and you can use it without them, there are no user accounts to be created and have data associated with that, and the affiliate programs they are registered in are the only ones that can be used completely anonymously.
For more details, we recommend their Privacy Policy page.
How to protect your privacy while online
1. Use Private Mode
Privacy mode or Incognito mode, as we know it, is a privacy tool found in some web browsers that disables your browsing history and the web cache, allowing you to browse without local data being stored for retrieval later.
It also disables data storage in cookies and flash cookies, but the protection is only on the local device as it is still possible to identify frequently visited sites by associating IP addresses at the webserver. If you are using Chrome for example, which has an Incognito Mode, you can also install some privacy extensions.
While this may be a quick way to protect yourself, the next two are even stronger.
2. Use DuckDuckGo
This is a search engine that doesn’t track you the way Google and others do. It is built to protect you from online tracking because you deserve privacy.
Companies make money off your private information without your consent online, so you need to protect your identity and data from such. DuckDuckGo lets you take back your privacy with a simple app and browser extension to stop online tracking so you can surf and browse with peace of mind.
Search privately, without being tracked, and get privacy tips while you’re at it. This tool has set a new standard of trust online. You need not buy or install anything, your searches are protected, and search leakage is stopped so that sites you visit won’t know what you searched for, plus your IP address won’t be sent to the search engine or browser’s user agent.
It also has an encrypted version that preserves your privacy, and a password-protected cloud save setting so you can create search policies, and sync them across your devices.
3. CyberGhost Free Anonymous Proxy
This tool is powered by CyberGhost VPN, and is meant for use whenever you have a privacy concern.
It provides a short and effortless way to access websites without being tracked, by typing in your preferred website and the proxy works its magic.
CyberGhost VPN
Looking for unmatched privacy protection? Check out CyberGhost VPN.
The free proxy is an immediate but temporary solution for easy anonymous web browsing. But if you seek 100 percent anonymity for your daily online activities, like surfing or unblocking streaming websites like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or BBC iPlayer, or torrenting privately, install CyberGhost VPN.
The proxy protects against spying by encrypting your HTTP web traffic, allows you to search the web anonymously without keeping track of your habits or preferences, and replaces your IP with an anonymous one so no one knows who you are – not even your ISP will know the sites you visit or what you look for on search engines and content you view online.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This post was written by Milan Stanojevic and was first posted to WindowsReport
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