DuckDuckGo desktop browser is reportedly in a closed beta test on macOS.
HIGHLIGHTS
DuckDuckGo browser will come with a Fire Button to delete history
DuckDuckGo recently unveiled App Tracking Protection on Android
There is no official word regarding a public release of the browser
DuckDuckGo has announced that it is working on a privacy-focussed browser for desktop. The company also has browsers for Android and iOS device which are claimed to shield your Internet activity from third-party trackers. DuckDuckGo aims to offer these privacy features to desktop users with its new Web browser. Its focus is on designing “an everyday browsing app” which offers robust privacy protection by default across search, browsing, email, and more.
The announcement was made by DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg via a blog post. The browser will offer all privacy features by default and will not have any tiers to its service. DuckDuckGo aims to develop a browser for everyday use which prevents companies from spying on the search and browsing history of users. The desktop browser will sport a clean and simple interface with the Fire button from the mobile versions, which instantly clears all tabs and browsing data with just one click.
The blog post also mentioned a number of privacy features that DuckDuckGo has released this year for its mobile apps. For instance, an Email Protection feature has been designed to remove trackers from emails.
DuckDuckGo is using OS-provided rendering engines to develop its desktop browsers. According to a report by The Verge, The browser will use Edge/ Chromium on PC and Safari/ Website on macOS systems for rendering. However, all the remaining features are being developed from the ground up by DuckDuckGo.
The browser is reportedly in closed beta on Mac and Windows version is expected to be unveiled soon. DuckDuckGo claims that early tests have indicated that its browser is significantly faster than Chrome on desktop. There has been no word from the company regarding an official release date of the browser.
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Further reading: DuckDuckGo, DuckDuckGo Browser, DuckDuckGo Desktop
The company says that although its App Tracking Protection tool isn't a virtual private network (VPN), your device will behave as if it is one.
"This is because App Tracking Protection uses a local ''VPN connection'' which means that it works its magic right on your smartphone. However, App Tracking Protection is different from VPNs because it never routes app data through an external server," DuckDuckGo explained in its post.
While conducting its own test, DuckDuckGo found that more than 96 percent of some of the most popular free Android apps have third-party trackers that most users are unaware of.
As per The Verge, the company also discovered that 87 percent of these apps send user data to Google, while 68 per cent send data to Facebook.
Once App Tracking Protection is enabled, it will run in the background as you use your phone. The tool recognised when an app is about to send data to a third-party tracker, and will then prevent the app from taking your information.
DuckDuckGo said that it's "continually working to identify and protect against new trackers," which means that your data should be kept away from any new trackers that crop up.
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