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Apple Considered Making DuckDuckGo Default Search Engine in Safari Private Browsing Mode
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I personally like Kagi, which is also ad-free, offers deeper customization and some nice AI-powered features. It’s not free to use, however…
Each search is "its own".
So say you were to search for "cheating" and then "divorce", then DDG could not tell it comes from the same person, whereas Google gets super riled up and will probably start throwing attorneys and happy pills after you like no tomorrow. That's what makes Google ads relevant (and some might say too relevant).
DDG is not superior when it comes to search results, but it's getting better year over year, and if the price is not getting tracked left and right? Worth it for sure. For your common day-to-day searches, it is more than enough. After a few hours, you forget why you used Google all those years.
At least with Startpage you get the decent search results of Google.
DuckDuckGo finds virtually nothing when it comes to searching for my favourite Japanese “actress”, so it has limited use in Private Mode.
Exactly. DDG is pretty adamant that their engine is private, so I think this was more a case of that Apple exec misunderstanding the tech and spreading false info. Shame.
Ya. I've recently switched to Ecosia. We'll see how it performs .
I tried DDG for a couple of years, but kept manually going back to Google for trusted search results.
People usually type “google” in the address bar (without “.com”) and click on the first link in the results, which finally gets them to the Google search page.
i reach my search engine when i type in youporn... give's me way better search results than google wouldPeople usually type “google” in the address bar (without “.com”) and click on the first link in the results, which finally gets them to the Google search page.
Maybe Apple should use that as the default in Private Mode.
It’s probably a nice rock.
DDG has been around for 15 years. The search engine started getting bigger about 10 years ago. It’s never been particularly popular but is for a more “privacy” focused audience.
It’s a decent search engine. I try it every once in a while but it still isn’t as good as Google in my experience.
Facts: it took you more to reply and type this comment than typing "duckduckgo" in the search bar and find out
Duck Duck Go, maybe has better privacy, however it's no where near as intuitive as Google.
Back in 2018, Apple held talks with DuckDuckGo to replace Google as the default search engine in private browsing mode, but ultimately rejected the idea, according to transcripts unsealed by the judge overseeing the US government's antitrust trial against Google in Washington.
Testifying in closed sessions, DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg said that his company had about 20 meetings and phone calls with Apple executives, including the head of Safari, in 2018 and 2019 about becoming the default search engine for private browsing mode.
According to Bloomberg, Apple did not move forward with the deal because John Giannandrea, who joined Apple as head of search in 2018, assumed that since DuckDuckGo relies on Bing for its search information, it also likely provides Microsoft some user information.
That led Giannandrea to believe that DuckDuckGo's privacy marketing is "somewhat incongruent with the details." In a February 2019 email to other Apple executives, Giannandrea said it was therefore "probably a bad idea" to switch to DuckDuckGo for private browsing in Safari.
If Apple seriously wanted to switch to DuckDuckGo, "I would probably insist on doing a lot more due diligence with DuckDuckGo," he said.
The trial is between the U.S. Department of Justice and Google, with the DoJ pointing toward Google's dominance on Apple devices as evidence that Google has a search engine monopoly. A multi-billion dollar deal between Apple and Google sees that Google is set as the default search engine on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Last week the trial revealed that Microsoft considered selling its Bing search engine to Apple. Had the acquisition happened, Bing would have replaced Google as the default search engine on Apple devices.
Apple's services chief Eddy Cue also had to testify, and he explained why Google is the iPhone's default search engine. "We make Google be the default search engine because we've always thought it was the best," Cue said. He went on to say that Apple has not gone with another search engine provider because there is no "valid alternative."
While Google is the default search engine on Apple devices, users can choose to swap to Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Ecosia as an alternative.
Article Link: Apple Considered Making DuckDuckGo Default Search Engine in Safari Private Browsing Mode
Regardless of Apple's deal with Google, any user Apple user can switch and choose their default search engine (same on Android & PC's) most don't through choice.
BTW I hate googles farming policy, however the fact is they have the best search engine, which is why I've stayed with it as my default
And why would they need to visit Google to begin a Google search? Would be interesting to know what percentage of smartphone users do this when wanting to do a Google search. Surely must be in the low single digits.People usually type “google” in the address bar (without “.com”) and click on the first link in the results, which finally gets them to the Google search page.
It is, but its also simplifying an issue. I'm assuming there is a bigger mistrust of Microsoft than Google on Apple's part, but Google isn't exactly known for having good privacy controls.This turned out to be (at least partly) true.
DuckDuckGo: Why our browsers won't block Microsoft trackers
Meanwhile, Tails 5.0 users told to stop what they're doing over Firefox flawwww.theregister.com
I tried using it as my default for several months, but in the end I found that the results page is just too ugly and cluttered looking and I couldn't get used to it. Switched to Bing search recently and I quite like that one. Only rarely find myself needing to go back to Google.
We must acknowledge that Google often behaves like the frat house of the internet. They initiate exciting projects, capture people's interest, and then abruptly withdraw their investments. Consider Google Voice, a brilliant concept that never progressed as expected.
Those who embraced the archive feature now find themselves mysteriously running out of space, as Google reneged on its promise of unlimited email storage. Furthermore, it's easy to forget how long it took them to update their iOS apps when Apple demanded greater transparency. It's hard to trust any app that handles such vast amounts of personal data, especially when it's merely a search engine.
In hindsight, Apple could have chosen DuckDuckGo as its default search engine, but it's likely we'll discover that they had undisclosed arrangements in place.
Those who embraced the archive feature now find themselves mysteriously running out of space, as Google reneged on its promise of unlimited email storage. Furthermore, it's easy to forget how long it took them to update their iOS apps when Apple demanded greater transparency. It's hard to trust any app that handles such vast amounts of personal data, especially when it's merely a search engine.
In hindsight, Apple could have chosen DuckDuckGo as its default search engine, but it's likely we'll discover that they had undisclosed arrangements in place.
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All this talk of “Google being the best search engine” and “DDG depending on Bing” for its search, just subtly plays into Google favour.
I have defaulted to DDG for years, primarily due to its promises being less invasive and not storing my search data, building my profile.
Am I being naive and do I actually miss something out by not using Google search?
PS DDG privacy label on the App Store does look much cleaner than Google’s.
I have defaulted to DDG for years, primarily due to its promises being less invasive and not storing my search data, building my profile.
Am I being naive and do I actually miss something out by not using Google search?
PS DDG privacy label on the App Store does look much cleaner than Google’s.