“DuckDuckGo vs. Google” or also said: “Privacy vs. Advertising”. On to the search engine battle!
Didn’t know DuckDuckGo is a search engine? Well, now you know. Since its inception in 2008, DuckDuckGo has set itself the task of developing a search engine that does not store or share any personal data; quite the opposite of Google. Google’s business model is based less on data protection and more on personalized advertising. Without the storage of personal data, Google would practically lose the air to breathe. However, Google is still the most used search engine, and there are reasons for that. However, Google has one weakness, namely data protection. Google is being sued again in this regard in the USA. This time it is about the storage of personal data when surfing in the so-called “incognito mode”. DuckDuckGo attacks Google’s “privacy” weakness. Why DuckDuckGo Is Bad?
DuckDuckGo as an alternative to Google in a data protection comparison
5 reasons: DuckDuckGo vs. Google
Advertising
Google is free but is funded by personalized advertising based on tracking. According to the data protection declaration, Google saves your activities. The storage can include, among other things, your search queries or your purchase activities, but also contain data relating to the people with whom you communicate or exchange content. Google can use this data to create a comprehensive profile and show you personalized advertising. This might be useful for you as you don’t have to search for the latest offers yourself. In the long run, however, it can also be annoying and/or possibly convey a feeling of being “being followed”.
DuckDuckGo, according to its own statements, does not store any personal data from you and refrains from personalized advertising. But that doesn’t mean that DuckDuckGo completely dispenses with advertising. DuckDuckGo is just taking a more privacy-friendly approach in this regard. DuckDuckGo shows you ads based on your search terms, not you. So if you are looking for a TV, using DuckDuckGo will show you ads for TV etc. and not ads for products you recently bought or searched for.
Relevancy
Google will show you the most relevant search results for you, but will filter them for you. If you google something, you will usually be satisfied with the search results very quickly. You’ll likely find what you’re looking for on at least the first three pages of search results. This is partly due to the search algorithm and the fact that Google knows your search queries and thus suggests search results that match your interests and/or views, etc. On the one hand, this is advantageous because you don’t have to waste a long time searching. On the other hand, however, it can also be disadvantageous. Because then you live in a kind of “Google filter bubble”. Google will tend to show you fewer search results that don’t match your interests and/or views. Among other things, this can lead to you e.g. B. Information about any other political or socially critical views is only displayed far down in the search results. You may not even notice them because you found what you were looking for on the first few pages.
DuckDuckGo, in turn, does not display personalized search results in addition to placing personalized advertising, which is related to the lack of storage of your personal data.
Privacy
Google offers “incognito mode” for surfing, but it’s not quite as private as it sounds.
Have you ever tried Google’s incognito mode? Basically, the incognito mode, in which, among other things, your browser history is not saved, is not a bad idea. Especially if you z. B. use the laptop with several people. You can also have a bit of privacy while surfing. However, the incognito mode does not mean that Google does not store any of your personal data and that you surf completely unrecognized. When using the incognito mode, Google also points out that your activities will remain visible to your employer, etc., among other things. In addition, Google also draws your attention to the fact that cookies are stored by third parties if you have given your consent to do so. However, Google will as already mentioned, sued for allegedly unlawful data storage when using incognito mode (Brown et al v. Google LLC et al, Az. 5:20-cv-03664-LHK). Google is accused, among other things, of misleading users when using Google’s incognito mode, because personal data would indeed be stored in this mode while surfing. The storage would include data on surfing behavior, since Google’s own services, such as Google Analytics, would also save data in incognito mode, although Google would not point this out separately. It remains to be seen how the lawsuit will end. 20-cv-03664-LHK). Google is accused, among other things, of misleading users when using Google’s incognito mode, because personal data would indeed be stored in this mode while surfing.
Product based Tracking
Google owns popular products like YouTube and Android, but that also means Google is everywhere. Google has developed or acquired many products over time, most of them such as YouTube, are very popular and enjoy a large number of users. Google is therefore putting out feelers in a wide variety of areas; In principle, however, you also benefit from it due to the quality of Google products. However, Google not only relies on tracking for the search engine, but also, for example, for YouTube or when using an Android smartphone. To put it bluntly, Google knows everything about you, or at least a lot. DuckDuckGo, in turn, blocks Google’s tracking methods, among other things, and shows you how privately you are surfing the net and how you are being tracked.
Try something new
If you don’t like DuckDuckGo or the search results aren’t what you expected, you can also quickly return to Google or get a second opinion through Google. You can even do this with DuckDuckGo itself, because you can use the !bangs function and enter !g to send your query directly to Google.
Also Read: What Does Sent As Text Message Mean?
