What Is DuckDuckGo and Should You Trust It?

[Anita Kumari]

Hi,

I’ve been seeing DuckDuckGo mentioned all over lately — YouTube videos, Reddit threads, even a couple of newsletters. It got me thinking.

Everyone’s saying it’s better for privacy, that it doesn’t track your searches or store your data like Google does. And I’ll admit, I never thought too hard about how much Google actually tracks, but maybe I should have?

So I tried DuckDuckGo the other day. Just out of curiosity. It works, yeah, like you can search stuff and all that, but something about it felt… off? Not bad, just not as “sharp” as Google.

I had to word things more carefully to get what I wanted, which I’m not used to. Maybe I’m just spoiled by how Google sort of finishes my thoughts for me.

But now I’m stuck. On one hand, the privacy idea makes sense — especially with how crazy data stuff has gotten lately. On the other hand, I don’t know if I really trust DuckDuckGo either.

Like, sure they say they don’t track, but how do we really know that? Every platform says they respect privacy until you read the fine print (or worse, never do).

So yeah — I’m wondering. Has anyone here actually made the switch to DuckDuckGo full-time? Not just a quick test, but using it daily?

Is it actually worth it? Or do most people end up crawling back to Google eventually because of convenience?

Would love some honest input, especially from people who aren’t super deep into tech. Just trying to figure out if this is one of those “sounds good on paper” things or something worth actually committing to.

[Shaun David]

Hello,

I’ve actually asked myself this same question not long ago — is DuckDuckGo really what it claims to be? And is it even worth switching from Google, especially when we’ve all gotten so used to the convenience of Google Search?

Let me start by saying: I used Google for everything for years. I never thought much about how much data it collects. I knew it tracked me, sure, but I guess I just accepted it as the price for speed and accuracy.

Type in half a question, and Google finishes it. It shows me what I want before I even realize I want it. Hard to argue with that, right?

But then I started seeing more people talk about privacy, data collection, algorithms shaping your results, and all that. It made me pause and think, what does Google really know about me? And the answer is: a lot.

Every search, every click, every location, every voice command if you use Google Assistant — it’s all data, and they’re using it to personalize results, ads, content, everything.

That’s where DuckDuckGo started to look appealing. The idea of using a search engine that doesn’t track you? That doesn’t build a profile on you? It sounded refreshing, even a little empowering.

So I made the switch for a while. I set DuckDuckGo as my default on my phone and laptop. At first, I liked the simplicity. No creepy targeted ads following me around after a search. It felt clean. I searched something, I got answers, and I moved on. It didn’t feel like I was being watched, which honestly was a nice change.

But I’ll be honest — the experience wasn’t perfect.

There were times when the results didn’t hit the mark. I’d search for something obscure, or even something local, and I wouldn’t find the same depth I got from Google.

DuckDuckGo doesn’t know where I am (unless I allow it), so I’d get less relevant info when it came to restaurants or services nearby. For someone used to Google knowing everything, it felt like a step down. And that’s the trade-off.

You get privacy, but you give up some personalization.

So is DuckDuckGo trustworthy? From everything I’ve read — including their privacy policy, and independent reviews — it seems like they genuinely try to protect your privacy.

They don’t log your IP, they don’t store your search history, and they’re not in the business of selling your data.

Unlike Google, they make money through non-targeted ads and affiliate links, which don’t rely on personal tracking. That’s a big difference.

Still, no company is perfect. DuckDuckGo is still a business. It’s built on Microsoft’s Bing infrastructure to some extent, so there’s a layer of trust that needs to be extended to them as well. That’s worth keeping in mind.

In the end, I’d say this: if privacy matters to you, and you’re okay with slightly less refined results, DuckDuckGo is absolutely worth a try.

Maybe not for everything, but at least for your general searches where you don’t want Google watching over your shoulder.

Me personally? I still use both. DuckDuckGo for most things, and Google when I need very specific results. It’s not an all-or-nothing choice. You can mix and match.

And that might be the most human answer of all — there’s no perfect solution. It’s just a question of what you value more: convenience or control.

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