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I'd argue for it. Apple is missing a search engine, has deep-enough pockets and resources to build its own engine if DDG API contracts were stopped, and is favo

I'd argue for it. Apple is missing a search engine, has deep-enough pockets and resources to build its own engine if DDG API contracts were stopped, and is favored by people who value their privacy.

bunderbunder 8y ago
Apple is missing a search engine. That doesn't imply that Apple needs a search engine, nor does it imply that acquiring one would be the most profitable thing they could be doing with their available resources. Arguably, a key part of Apple's success is that they don't behave like Microsoft.
- loueed 8y ago
  Would DDG improve apples AI work? Google seems to be ahead of Apple with smart assistants, maybe that only a result of bad privacy policies on Googles part.
- lowpro 8y ago
  With Apple pushing privacy as a major feature of iOS compared to alternatives, if the company continues taking a consumer focused, privacy respecting approach acquiring DDG could help strengthen branding, and maybe bring together an integrated privacy solution competing with Google’s integrated ad solution.
- partiallypro 8y ago
  DDG doesn't even -really- have a search engine, they are using Bing's API. So the acquisition wouldn't even make sense.
  - throwawaymath 8y ago
    Wait, really? I thought DuckDuckGo merely implemented APIs ("bangs") to fallback search engine providers in case a user preferred it. Surely DuckDuckGo has implemented their own search engine, crawler and indexer apart from other providers?
    - Kiro 8y ago
      > Surely DuckDuckGo has implemented their own search engine, crawler and indexer apart from other providers? No. They have their own crawler but it's only used for Instant Answers and other widget stuff. https://duck.co/help/results/sources https://duck.co/help/results/sources > In fact, DuckDuckGo gets its results from over four hundred sources. These include hundreds of vertical sources delivering niche Instant Answers, DuckDuckBot (our crawler) and crowd-sourced sites (like Wikipedia, stored in our answer indexes). We also of course have more traditional links in the search results, which we also source from a variety of partners, including Oath (formerly Yahoo) and Bing. So in other words, all organic search results come from Bing and Oath.
      - throwawaymath 8y ago
        But then what's the point? EDIT: This is an honest question, not snark. I'd appreciate an honest answer instead of a blind drive-by downvote. I don't learn anything about why a thin UI layer over a bunch of search engines I can access directly is useful for privacy if you just downvote my comment.
        symlinkk 8y ago
        Because you're not accessing the search engines directly, you're going through a sort of proxy that hides your identity.
        Aeolun 8y ago
        I have to agree I’m dissapointed by this. I thought there was at least one party with an independent web search engine.
  - JohnFen 8y ago
    DDG uses Bing as well as a bunch of other sources, including their own crawlers. Portraying it as a sort of "Bing in disguise" is incorrect.
    - Kiro 8y ago
      Their own crawler is not used for organic search results. See sibling comment.
mikkom 8y ago
Duckduckgo is not a search engine. It's an UI layer for search APIs provided by other players like Bing and Yandex.

I'd argue for it. Apple is missing a search engine, has deep-enough pockets and resources to build its own engine if DDG API contracts were stopped, and is favored by people who value their privacy.

bunderbunder 8y ago

Apple is missing a search engine. That doesn't imply that Apple needs a search engine, nor does it imply that acquiring one would be the most profitable thing they could be doing with their available resources. Arguably, a key part of Apple's success is that they don't behave like Microsoft.

loueed 8y ago
Would DDG improve apples AI work? Google seems to be ahead of Apple with smart assistants, maybe that only a result of bad privacy policies on Googles part.
lowpro 8y ago
With Apple pushing privacy as a major feature of iOS compared to alternatives, if the company continues taking a consumer focused, privacy respecting approach acquiring DDG could help strengthen branding, and maybe bring together an integrated privacy solution competing with Google’s integrated ad solution.
partiallypro 8y ago
DDG doesn't even -really- have a search engine, they are using Bing's API. So the acquisition wouldn't even make sense.
- throwawaymath 8y ago
  Wait, really? I thought DuckDuckGo merely implemented APIs ("bangs") to fallback search engine providers in case a user preferred it. Surely DuckDuckGo has implemented their own search engine, crawler and indexer apart from other providers?
  - Kiro 8y ago
    > Surely DuckDuckGo has implemented their own search engine, crawler and indexer apart from other providers? No. They have their own crawler but it's only used for Instant Answers and other widget stuff. https://duck.co/help/results/sources https://duck.co/help/results/sources > In fact, DuckDuckGo gets its results from over four hundred sources. These include hundreds of vertical sources delivering niche Instant Answers, DuckDuckBot (our crawler) and crowd-sourced sites (like Wikipedia, stored in our answer indexes). We also of course have more traditional links in the search results, which we also source from a variety of partners, including Oath (formerly Yahoo) and Bing. So in other words, all organic search results come from Bing and Oath.
    - throwawaymath 8y ago
      But then what's the point? EDIT: This is an honest question, not snark. I'd appreciate an honest answer instead of a blind drive-by downvote. I don't learn anything about why a thin UI layer over a bunch of search engines I can access directly is useful for privacy if you just downvote my comment.
      - symlinkk 8y ago
        Because you're not accessing the search engines directly, you're going through a sort of proxy that hides your identity.
      - Aeolun 8y ago
        I have to agree I’m dissapointed by this. I thought there was at least one party with an independent web search engine.
- JohnFen 8y ago
  DDG uses Bing as well as a bunch of other sources, including their own crawlers. Portraying it as a sort of "Bing in disguise" is incorrect.
  - Kiro 8y ago
    Their own crawler is not used for organic search results. See sibling comment.

mikkom 8y ago

Duckduckgo is not a search engine. It's an UI layer for search APIs provided by other players like Bing and Yandex.