<story><title>Bing contract prohibits DuckDuckGo from completely blocking Microsoft tracking</title><url>https://twitter.com/shivan_kaul/status/1528879590772338689</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>lapcat</author><text>DuckDuckGo feels like just a front for Microsoft at this point. I once looked into buying search ads on DuckDuckGo, only to discover to my horror that DDG didn&amp;#x27;t have its own ad business. DDG is entirely reliant on Microsoft&amp;#x27;s advertising system. You have to sign up for a Microsoft account to even put ads on DDG! And it&amp;#x27;s difficult — maybe impossible IIRC? — to specifically target DDG in those ads, without also targeting other MS properties.&lt;p&gt;Until DuckDuckGo separates itself from Microsoft and becomes truly independent, especially in its business model, you have to question why DDG even exists.&lt;p&gt;DDG was founded 14 years ago. I can understand initially bootstrapping on MS ads, but what&amp;#x27;s the excuse now? How about separating yourself from Microsoft first, before making a web browser that gives special exemptions to Microsoft?</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>nerevarthelame</author><text>I totally agree. It seems DDG exists at Microsoft&amp;#x27;s leisure and has little leverage in the relationship. In addition to serving Microsoft ads and this new special arrangement to allow Microsoft tracking, they also serve almost exclusively Bing search results. It seems like they&amp;#x27;re all but a subsidiary at this point.&lt;p&gt;As a consumer if you&amp;#x27;re happy with DDG&amp;#x27;s results this may not be relevant, but it doesn&amp;#x27;t seem like a great long-term strategy for DDG.</text></comment>
<story><title>Bing contract prohibits DuckDuckGo from completely blocking Microsoft tracking</title><url>https://twitter.com/shivan_kaul/status/1528879590772338689</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>lapcat</author><text>DuckDuckGo feels like just a front for Microsoft at this point. I once looked into buying search ads on DuckDuckGo, only to discover to my horror that DDG didn&amp;#x27;t have its own ad business. DDG is entirely reliant on Microsoft&amp;#x27;s advertising system. You have to sign up for a Microsoft account to even put ads on DDG! And it&amp;#x27;s difficult — maybe impossible IIRC? — to specifically target DDG in those ads, without also targeting other MS properties.&lt;p&gt;Until DuckDuckGo separates itself from Microsoft and becomes truly independent, especially in its business model, you have to question why DDG even exists.&lt;p&gt;DDG was founded 14 years ago. I can understand initially bootstrapping on MS ads, but what&amp;#x27;s the excuse now? How about separating yourself from Microsoft first, before making a web browser that gives special exemptions to Microsoft?</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>qiskit</author><text>&amp;gt; Until DuckDuckGo separates itself from Microsoft and becomes truly independent, especially in its business model, you have to question why DDG even exists.&lt;p&gt;DDG exists to make money for itself. It doesn&amp;#x27;t exist to protect your privacy.&lt;p&gt;From google to github to mozilla to everything, you would think the tech idealism would have died already. People working in tech, especially the elite, are some of the slimiest and greediest people on earth. Where money goes, so go the greedy slimeballs. It&amp;#x27;s pretty much a law of nature.</text></comment>