An agreement prevents the DuckDuckGo browser from blocking certain Microsoft trackers on iOS and Android – Benin News

PARIS, May 31 (Benin News/EP) –

An agreement prevents the browser from DuckDuckGo for iOS there android block certain “trackers” of Microsoft when you visit certain third-party websites.

Since its inception, DuckDuckGo has been associated with the protection of privacy. However, the cybersecurity expert Jacob Edwards shared last week through his profile of Twitter a thread in which he explains that DuckDuckGo’s browser for both mobile ecosystems is unable to block certain Microsoft trackers.

This information contrasts with the description of the browser in the App Store and Google Play, in which the company responsible for the browser claims that its “Tracker Radar” tool “automatically blocks third-party trackers that hide on websites”. visited by the user.

Sometimes you find something so disturbing during an audit that you have to check and recheck because you assume *something* must be broken in the test.

But I’m confident now.

New @DuckDuckGo Browsers for iOS/Android do not block data feeds from Microsoft, LinkedIn or Bing.🧵 pic.twitter.com/ol7Ydfo3BJ

— ℨ𝔞𝔠𝔥 𝔈𝔡𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡𝔰 (@thezedwards) May 23, 2022

Subsequently, in response to the outcry over Edwards’ investigation, the CEO of DuckDuckGo, Gabriel Weinberg, acknowledged the news and explained that it is due to a “search syndication agreement” signed with Microsoft.

When you load our search results, you are completely anonymous, including advertisements. For ads, we’ve worked with Microsoft to protect click-throughs. On our public advertising page “Microsoft Advertising does not associate your click-through behavior with a user profile.”

—Gabriel Weinberg (@yegg) May 23, 2022

Weinberg says that DuckDuckGo generally disallows third-party cookies. However, the agreement with Microsoft prevents the browser from completely limiting the use of cookies. some of its scripts do not load on third-party websites such as Workplace.

The Facebook-owned enterprise social network appears in the example shared by Edwards. According to this expert, the DuckDuckGo browser on iOS and Android was unable to block data transfer to LinkedIn and Bing ads when accessing the Workplace site.

While DuckDuckGo boasts of preventing Facebook tracking when entering Workplace, data collected by the browser shows that it does not block the data stream. LinkedIn and Bing advertising domains, owned by Microsoft.

DuckDuckGo’s partnership with the Redmond company imposes “a distribution requirement,” which is part of the search syndication agreement, and which “helps them privately use certain Bing results to provide better overall search results.” private research,” Weinberg detailed in a Reddit post.

Because of this arrangement, most “traditional” links and images come from Bing. Indeed, according to Mr. Weinberg, only two companies in the world have an overall internet link index of 1.5%. ” high quality ” : Microsoft and Google.

The main reason for this is its cost, which it estimates at more than a billion dollars a year. The other search engines are therefore obliged to use the services of one or the other. The same goes for mapping services, as not every company can launch their satellites into space and map the streets.

Weinberg also acknowledges that DuckDuckGo “is not perfect and never will be”. He adds that no one can offer “100%” protection. However, it says it is working with Microsoft to “reduce or remove the limiting restriction” and update the description of the browser on the App Store and Google Play so that its users are aware of it.

DUCKDUCKGO AND HIS CRUSADE AGAINST GOOGLE

The deal between DuckDuckGo and Microsoft comes weeks after the Weinberg-led company imposed new restrictions on Google. In mid-May, DuckDuckGo confirmed that its Google Chrome extension will block new interest-based tracking methods and ad personalization. based on Google browsing history.

This measure follows others previously announced by DuckDuckGo to further limit its users’ exposure to Google, such as blocking the browser’s FLOC tracking system, introducing private search, smart encryption and global control. confidentiality.