DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine, is making its desktop browser available to all users. The browser has been designed to protect user privacy by default and includes features like private browsing and a history blocker. DuckDuckGo says that its goal is to make it easier for people to stay anonymous online and protect their data. ..
“Like we’ve done on mobile, DuckDuckGo for desktop will redefine user expectations of everyday online privacy,” said Gabriel Weinberg, CEO of DuckDuckGo, in a blog post.
It sounds like the browser will be all about making privacy simple. As a result, you won’t have to deal with all kinds of settings to get a secure experience. “No complicated settings, no misleading warnings, no “levels” of privacy protection — just robust privacy protection that works by default, across search, browsing, email, and more,” reads the blog post.
However, the CEO also notes that it’s not just a “privacy browser.” Instead, it’s meant to serve as your everyday web browser that happens to protect your privacy.
DuckDuckGo says it’s building its desktop browser around the OS-provided rendering engines instead of Chromium. The company says this allows them to “strip away a lot of the unnecessary cruft and clutter that’s accumulated over the years in major browsers.”
That’s all well and good, but a web browser also needs to be fast. DuckDuckGo claims that “Compared to Chrome, the DuckDuckGo app for desktop is cleaner, way more private, and early tests have found it significantly faster too!”
Of course, we’ll need to test it for ourselves to determine if the company’s claims are valid, but it sounds like a promising browser. Unfortunately, Weinberg didn’t announce when we’d get to try out DuckDuckGo’s desktop browser, but hopefully, it’ll be soon.
— Gabriel Weinberg (@yegg) December 21, 2021
A macOS version is in closed beta right now. However, in a tweet, the CEO also said it’s working on a Windows version.
