Loading ...Search engine DuckDuckGo has been popping up in many conversations lately in association with the almost constant news surrounding spam and content farms. The search engine has only one full-time employee, but it is quickly gaining traction, which is, in part, due to the bold position it has taken on major issues.
Gabriel Weinberg is the only employee and is also the founder of the engine. As he explained to WebProNews, the search engine is a general engine just like Google or Bing but is different in three ways.
The first way it’s different is in its Zero-Click Info feature. This feature consists of a box at the top of the results page that provides instant answers to queries. As a result, users may find what they need without even clicking on a link.
The second area that sets DuckDuckGO apart is its stand on spam. Referring to it as “the way Google used to be,” Weinberg said DuckDuckGo does not tolerate spam, or “useless sites.” Last year, it actually removed all Demand Media‘s content and marked it as spam.
“There’s so much out on the Internet now that when you block something like eHow, users don’t even notice. All they notice is that you’ve got better results,” said Weinberg.
Although he believes this action needed, he also added that it is “much easier for a startup to do it, like us, than it is for Google.”
Thirdly, DuckDuckGo has a very strong privacy policy that is very different from the other search engines. In fact, this year, it launched an ad campaign with this slogan: “Google tracks you. We don’t.” Weinberg is quick to point out that he is not “anti-Google,” but he does believe that the search giant is doing some things that aren’t really necessary.
For instance, Google tracks a user’s search history. Also, when a user clicks on a link in Google, his search terms are set to the site he clicks on, which is information that is often aggregated by ad networks and sold to third parties. Google justifies its actions by saying that it returns more relevant and personalized results. DuckDuckGo, on the other hand, doesn’t track this information but argues that its results are just as relevant as Google’s results.
“The proof is in the results,” said Weinberg.
He also told us that DuckDuckGo will continue to focus on these three areas, and that he hopes other search engines will take a similar stand on these issues.
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DuckDuckGo is my family’s search engine, I would never endanger my kids and wife security and wellbeing leaving them at the hands of Google, why is Google collecting IP addresses? Why is Google using long term tracking cookies? Why are they linking my searches with Google account? Why is Google selling my family’s life to a bunch of corporations that all they do good is to spam and cheat?
Using Google for your search is like writing on the neighbourhood’s wall what you just searched for, no thank you, I am not selling my life to Google in exchange for their “custom searches”, assuming that really exists, either DuckDuckGo, StartingPage.com or Scroogle.org they are all decent search engines that respect the right’s of the people to surf the Internet with privacy, if Egyptians can stand up up to Mubarak’s 30 years iron rule we can all stand against Google’s 20 years of privacy invasion rule, it is time to fight, it is time to bring down Google, do not use them, do not risk your life and that of your family by allowing and american company whose CIA links are unknown, to record your searches.
Anyone following the way corporations and Government figures meet during Bildenberg groups in secret locations will know that Google plays an important role in society’s control and submission to the big fortunes, first you give your privacy away and the next thing you know is that spam is coming your way, this is just the beginning, fight Google, embrace do not track search engines, you own it to your kids and to yourself.
Whoa, Frank, switch over to decaff! Google collects its information so that it can package it’s AdWords program with “results”. Advertisers want to know what they are getting for the money, and most of what’s collected is used to answer those kinds of questions.
Duck Duck Go will surely appeal to some as high minded. To me its a publicity stunt: set up some straw men and then knock them down. If you are all alone as the sole employee, even the more courageous. Personally, I don’t want my search site blocking anybody (hey, I’ve read many helpful things on eHow), and I block cookies in any event. No thanks DDG, your cure is no better than the disease.
I just discovered duckduckgo thanks to your video. I spent some time entering searches and it seems to be a good alternative to google. Results were relevant and without most of the “content farms” that are found in the google results.
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If DuckDuckGo is a family search engine, I will try it.
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Google is so popular, one would think that when you say search engine, it means Google. I’m sure not everybody knows there are other search engines around. Good luck with DuckDuckGo.