DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search engine company, has launched its browser for Windows users, nine months after its release for Mac. The browser, which is now available, shares the same core value as its search engine counterpart: it does not collect user data and does not track user activity across the web.
In terms of design and functionality, the DuckDuckGo browser closely resembles popular browsers like Chrome and Edge. It features a row of tabs along the top and a large text box for searching and entering URLs. While DuckDuckGo’s search engine is the default option when installing the browser, users have the option to change it if they prioritize browser privacy over search privacy.
Apart from its familiar interface, the DuckDuckGo browser offers some unique features, such as Duck Player, a tool that removes ad targeting, tracking, and recommendations from YouTube pages. This feature enhances user privacy while browsing the popular video-sharing platform.
The development of the DuckDuckGo browser for Windows took a few years due to the complexity of the Windows ecosystem. The team had to account for various hardware and software variations, including touchscreens and different screen resolutions. To overcome these challenges, the browser is built on Windows’ WebView2 technology, utilizing the same Blink rendering engine used by Chrome and other major browsers.
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With the addition of Windows support, DuckDuckGo now offers a cross-platform browser that can compete with the likes of Chrome and Edge. The browser is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac, enabling users to protect their data across all their devices. Although the Windows version is still in beta and lacks some features, such as extension support, Peter Dolanjski, the company’s product director, assures that these missing features will be added soon.
While DuckDuckGo is primarily recognized as a search engine, CEO Gabriel Weinberg believes that the company’s vision extends beyond search. He refers to DuckDuckGo as “the easy button for privacy” and asserts that search alone cannot address all privacy concerns, such as ad tracking, unsettling targeting, and data collection by third-party trackers hiding behind websites. Weinberg emphasizes that developing a web browser is the most comprehensive solution to address these privacy issues, as it allows the company to provide various privacy-focused services.
Weinberg notes that the distinction between browsers and search engines is gradually disappearing, with browser makers integrating their services more closely with their apps, making it harder for users to switch. DuckDuckGo aims to simplify the process by encouraging users to download its browser, enabling the company to offer a range of services within the browser interface.
Both Weinberg and Dolanjski express their desire to further enhance the DuckDuckGo browser, making it not only simpler and more private but also feature-rich. They envision building additional tools, similar to Duck Player, that prioritize user protection and are easily accessible within the browser.
The initial focus was to develop a robust browser and make it available across platforms. Although the Windows version is slightly behind during the beta phase, the goal is to achieve feature parity as quickly as possible. Once all aspects are up to speed, DuckDuckGo can explore and pursue even greater ambitions in the realm of privacy-focused browsing.
