[ExI] DuckDuckGo

[Dave Sill]

On Sun, Nov 28, 2021 at 11:07 AM Ben Zaiboc via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> I saw a troubling sign today. Literally. The sign was on a bus shelter,
> and it was an advert for DuckDuckGo.
>
> I presume some of you here use it instead of the dreaded G-word search
> engine, and it trumpets how it preserves privacy (the advert features a
> blurred/pixellated face).
>

If you use DuckDuckGo or some other privacy-oriented search engine--which I
do--give some thought to the potential privacy issues in your browser, your
operating system, your ISP, your email provider, ...

The trouble I see is that if they are so big now that they're
> advertising to the public, they are big enough to be a target for bigger
> fish to swallow or subvert. So I'm starting to think about lining up
> some alternatives that are similarly privacy-oriented but still small.
> Any suggestions?
>

I'm still happy with DDG, and I think if they sell out, we'll hear about
it. They don't require a login, so their knowledge about users is
indirect--they know about activity at the system level, but they can't tie
your desktop, laptop, and smartphone activity to a single person. And they
don't sell ads, so it'll be pretty obvious if they start.

Regarding browser privacy, I've started using Brave, a privacy-oriented
Chrome fork. I haven't switched completely yet, but it's been great: better
performance than Chrome. They also have their own privacy-oriented search
engine, Brave Search <https://search.brave.com>.

Regarding OS privacy, all I can say is that I don't trust Microsoft or
Apple at all.

For ISP privacy, try a VPN. We've talked about them here before.

Bottom line: there are no perfect solutions and you'll have to trust
various products at some point, so choose carefully and don't put all your
eggs in one basket.

-Dave
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