In the world of online privacy and anonymity, DuckDuckGo has been an ally that enables internet users to avoid the prying eyes of search engines, marketing campaigns, and tracking services. DuckDuckGo has recently released a new version of their iOS app that has been completely revamped, with privacy built in from the ground up. While the big players like Google, Amazon, and Facebook are abandoning their commitment to user privacy, DuckDuckGo has doubled down on its pro-consumer stance, and that attitude is reflected in their new iOS app. In this post we'll discuss the new features of the iOS app and how they can help you browse the internet securely and anonymously.
Using a next-generation algorithm paired with other industry tools, DuckDuckGo's app and browser extensions allow the user to see a Privacy Grade for the website they're on – ranging from an A for the best security-minded websites, all the way to F for complete sellouts and blatant disregard for users' privacy. Not only does it grade the website in real time, it also makes an effort to raise the user's privacy on the website through features like forced encryption, cookie disabling, and blocking advertising tracker networks.
Keeping in line with the practices of their full desktop site, the DuckDuckGo iOS app never tracks or records the user's data. The app doesn't collect hardware information about the device it's installed on, doesn't retain any kind of browsing history log, and doesn't report usage metrics back to a central server. Just as users retain complete privacy and anonymity on the DuckDuckGo desktop site, they will also enjoy these benefits on the iOS app. Unlike other mobile search apps that track user activity and slow down the device through extensive logging, the new iOS app is lightweight and leaves a small footprint by not collecting or processing user data.
While DuckDuckGo's app offers a robust privacy-minded search solution, the reader is advised to leverage a mobile VPN application to maximize their online security while using the app. By using a trusted mobile VPN solution, your true IP address won't be revealed to DuckDuckGo's servers (or anyone's servers) and you can rest assured that you will remain completely anonymous while using the app. No mobile app is 100% secure against hackers infiltrating and snooping on the app's network data, so using a mobile VPN will ensure that your traffic remains encrypted and secure while communicating with DuckDuckGo and other applications. Contrary to popular belief, a mobile VPN does not cause significant losses in speed or performance, so privacy-minded users are encouraged to always have one enabled while browsing on unsecured networks or WiFi hotspots.
In summary, we're very happy to see that DuckDuckGo has released their new privacy-friendly iOS app, and we would encourage readers to check it out. In a time where your confidential data is being handed over to almost every online service, this new app is a breath of fresh air.