The team behind the prominent privacy-focused search engine called DuckDuckGo have now released a full-blown browser called DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser, built on the same principles. In addition to the new browser, the company has also announced a completely revamped browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari while on non-Android devices. Both new tools offer a range of privacy protection features, which DuckDuckGo says will allow users to stay informed about their own web activity and to take control of their online personal information.
Like other privacy-focused browsers, DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser centers around features such as tracker blocking, encryption, and privacy in searches. The browser will also, of course, not save any user data or browsing data. However, this browser goes a bit further in its absolutely minimalist approach to privacy. For starters, the only extension users will see in next to the URL bar is a Privacy Grade rating for every website they visit. That’s meant to give an idea as to which sites utilize best practices to keep their users safe, at a glance. Clicking on the privacy rating will provide an overview about which sites were trying to track them, more details about the site’s rating, and how DuckDuckGo has responded with enhancements to that website’s privacy. The score itself is automatically created based on privacy-specific factors from website practices to whether or not it contains hidden trackers and a site can be scored from an ‘A’ to an ‘F,’ with the latter being the worst score. Beyond even that, users will only see a fire icon, used to clear all data, and context menu. The menu only has three options, the ability to refresh a page, to add a bookmark, and a settings menu with only one toggle available – allowing or disallowing autocomplete suggestions.
The new browser extension – accessible via the source link below – also adds the privacy grading system and associated information about sites. Meanwhile, the Android app and extension are completely free. That means anybody who is interested in seeing how their favorite sites fare or just keeping themselves that much safer online only needs to click the Google Play button below to get started.
