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Disclaimer: I work at DuckDuckGo so I'm a bit bias. I won't turn this into a sales pitch, but here are a few common misconceptions people have about privacy and
by AdamSC1 10y ago
Disclaimer: I work at DuckDuckGo so I'm a bit bias. I won't turn this into a sales pitch, but here are a few common misconceptions people have about privacy and search.
1) Many people don't realize that tracking isn't just about having something to hide. But, it can cost you money. From Airline tickets to staplers you pay based on a profile:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323777204578189391813881534 http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014241278873237772045781893...
http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-you-cant-trust-youre-getting-the-best-deal-online-1414036862 http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-you-cant-trust-youre-getting...
2) People don't realize what's being tracked. I usually send them to http://history.google.com/history http://history.google.com/history to have a look. Or http://webkay.robinlinus.com/ http://webkay.robinlinus.com/ to see what their browser can access. That makes a lot of people realize just what is out there.
3) People feel they can't search without personalized searches.
The example is often a matter of disambiguation. For example, if I type "Python" I want code, not snakes. But, really, when is the last time you only typed 'Python' and wanted something generic about Python? You probably wanted a package lookup or the latest news on a release. So if you become more specific there is no issue.
Plus when you get a bit more specific on Python you can trigger things like package lookup:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=python+numpy&ia=about https://duckduckgo.com/?q=python+numpy&ia=about
Or NumPy Cheatsheet:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=numpy+cheat+sheet&ia=cheatsheet https://duckduckgo.com/?q=numpy+cheat+sheet&ia=cheatsheet
At the end of the day some people may truly be ok with all the tracking that takes place, and that's ok that's up to them. But, at DuckDuckGo our goal is to educate people on online privacy, and provide a trusted way to access information as best we can. (Not to mention Instant Answers and Bangs which are super addicting)
- cpayne624 10y agoI'm a ddg fan. You guys should have a big, conspicuous WHY? button on the homepage that links to all this. The 'Learn More' link takes me to what you guys don't do, which is good, but it's light on the why.
- AdamSC1 10y agoThanks for the great suggestion. We're currently exploring ways to get the 'why' message out there more. I'll certainly bring it up with the team :)