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We offer an all-in-one privacy app. The extension/app generates the addresses and autofills them into email forms, and so you need the extension/app for those k

by yegg 4y ago

We offer an all-in-one privacy app. The extension/app generates the addresses and autofills them into email forms, and so you need the extension/app for those key parts of the functionality. Once signed up you can use it somewhat though without the extension/app by giving out your personal duck address directly, and trackers will be stripped from messages sent to it and then forwarded to your regular inbox. That said, we may indeed offer sign up outside the app/extension, but right now as a forwarding service, we are very sensitive to abuse of the system and so limiting it a bit helps to ensure we are on top of any abuse that doesn't bring down the whole system.

Agrue8u 4y ago
But the app changes my default search page and new tab home page without my permission. I installed the app to get my duck email address then immediately disabled it.
- yegg 4y ago
  I'm not sure which "app" you are referring to in this case, but generally private search is a key part of being private online. In every browser but Chrome, you can, however, subsequently change the search engine if you want. It's not our fault you can't do it in Chrome -- that is their restriction.
TekMol 4y ago
I would not install an extension to give me a generated address. I would expect your website to give it to me. Putting generated addresses into forms... I would do that manually. If I really would do that multiple times a day (But who signs up for services so often?) I would use a bookmarklet for it. Bookmarklets are way less intrusive than extensions. And have other usability advantages. I can nicely put them into my bookmarks for example.
- yegg 4y ago
  As said, we may support this in the future. We did a lot of testing and found unequivocally that most people would prefer to have generated addresses automatically available in context within email fields when they use signup forms vs. having to go back to another website to get them (which most wouldn't actually do).
  - TekMol 4y ago
    I agree with you in so far, that you would probably have 1000 times less users if you would cater to people like me. But it still feels wrong to me. Instead of giving company A their email, you are suggesting people give company B full access to all their browsing data. The "Trust us we are the good guys" approach just does not click with me.
    - yegg 4y ago
      Understood, though just to be clear, email field identification happens client side, so we don't get your browsing history. More fundamentally though, we make a browser, and our privacy policy is to never create search or browsing histories.
      - sha-3 4y ago
        Could you, if it's possible, at least remove the full browsing data permission on the extension?
        yegg 4y ago
        That is required to provide all our various web tracking protections: https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy/web-tracking-protections/ https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy/we...
        3np 4y ago
        Right. The idea would be that users might not want that subset of functionality at all. In those cases, why not degrade gracefully? "Why do you need my house keys to deliver mail?" "So we can put packages inside the house in case it's raining hard and you are not at home." "That's OK, I have a good porch and would rather you put everything not fitting in the mailbox there" "Studies show that users prefer dry packages and may be concerned with theft. We need this in order to provide secure delivery in all conditions, take it or leave it"
Terretta 4y ago
The Waitlist suggested access to this was tied to device identifier. When I tried today I was not waitlisted, but I also wasn’t challenged to identify myself that I saw. I created my forwarder. I’m puzzled how, if this is connected to my device ID in some way, I will be able to access it on my next device.
- yegg 4y ago
  It is not connected to your device id. The waitlist worked on your device by storing a local token, and we never had your device id. On other devices/browsers you will need to authenticate via an email code/link forwarded through the service.
akomtu 4y ago
So you offer a privacy app that needs to see everything I'm doing online, just like a VPN, but at the html level. And that "html vpn" is free, funded by god knows who. I wouldn't use it, but I admit this might be a valid business idea. I'll also add that this "vpn" app trades a bit of DDG's reputation for attention.
- yegg 4y ago
  No, unlike a VPN, our web tracker blocking all happens on your device. See our help page for details: https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy/web-tracking-protections/ https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy/we.... We are are funded through private search ads.
nabakin 4y ago
Not sure if including the password used to deactivate the email alias, in every email sent, is the best idea btw

by yegg 4y ago

Agrue8u 4y ago

But the app changes my default search page and new tab home page without my permission. I installed the app to get my duck email address then immediately disabled it.

yegg 4y ago
I'm not sure which "app" you are referring to in this case, but generally private search is a key part of being private online. In every browser but Chrome, you can, however, subsequently change the search engine if you want. It's not our fault you can't do it in Chrome -- that is their restriction.

TekMol 4y ago

I would not install an extension to give me a generated address. I would expect your website to give it to me. Putting generated addresses into forms... I would do that manually. If I really would do that multiple times a day (But who signs up for services so often?) I would use a bookmarklet for it. Bookmarklets are way less intrusive than extensions. And have other usability advantages. I can nicely put them into my bookmarks for example.

yegg 4y ago
As said, we may support this in the future. We did a lot of testing and found unequivocally that most people would prefer to have generated addresses automatically available in context within email fields when they use signup forms vs. having to go back to another website to get them (which most wouldn't actually do).
- TekMol 4y ago
  I agree with you in so far, that you would probably have 1000 times less users if you would cater to people like me. But it still feels wrong to me. Instead of giving company A their email, you are suggesting people give company B full access to all their browsing data. The "Trust us we are the good guys" approach just does not click with me.
  - yegg 4y ago
    Understood, though just to be clear, email field identification happens client side, so we don't get your browsing history. More fundamentally though, we make a browser, and our privacy policy is to never create search or browsing histories.
    - sha-3 4y ago
      Could you, if it's possible, at least remove the full browsing data permission on the extension?
      - yegg 4y ago
        That is required to provide all our various web tracking protections: https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy/web-tracking-protections/ https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy/we...
        3np 4y ago
        Right. The idea would be that users might not want that subset of functionality at all. In those cases, why not degrade gracefully? "Why do you need my house keys to deliver mail?" "So we can put packages inside the house in case it's raining hard and you are not at home." "That's OK, I have a good porch and would rather you put everything not fitting in the mailbox there" "Studies show that users prefer dry packages and may be concerned with theft. We need this in order to provide secure delivery in all conditions, take it or leave it"

Terretta 4y ago

The Waitlist suggested access to this was tied to device identifier. When I tried today I was not waitlisted, but I also wasn’t challenged to identify myself that I saw. I created my forwarder. I’m puzzled how, if this is connected to my device ID in some way, I will be able to access it on my next device.

yegg 4y ago
It is not connected to your device id. The waitlist worked on your device by storing a local token, and we never had your device id. On other devices/browsers you will need to authenticate via an email code/link forwarded through the service.

akomtu 4y ago

So you offer a privacy app that needs to see everything I'm doing online, just like a VPN, but at the html level. And that "html vpn" is free, funded by god knows who. I wouldn't use it, but I admit this might be a valid business idea. I'll also add that this "vpn" app trades a bit of DDG's reputation for attention.

yegg 4y ago
No, unlike a VPN, our web tracker blocking all happens on your device. See our help page for details: https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy/web-tracking-protections/ https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy/we.... We are are funded through private search ads.

nabakin 4y ago

Not sure if including the password used to deactivate the email alias, in every email sent, is the best idea btw