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DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro

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41–49 of 49 posts

Re: DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro

#41

I didn't even realize DDG had a browser. I've been using Brave for a few years now which has also offered a built-in VPN (which I don't use). If anyone has chose DDG over Brave, what were the deciding factors?

Can't comment on Windows or iOS, but the Android browser is neat!

Good:

- I like that you can pin websites for easy access, the grid is visible when the address bar is focused or when you open a new tab. Similar to Firefox but more intuitive!

- It blocks a fair amount of ads (incidental blocking, because they block trackers)

- The history is cleared after a period of inactivity or when you dismiss/quit the app, and you can "fireproof" specific websites that you want to preserve

- The accessibility features like text size and page zoom actually work, unlike Chrome or Brave where it's been broken forever (at least for me)

Less good:

- The search settings are often "forgotten". It doesn't seem to be related to the history clearing but things like "disable ads" or "safe search off" are often reset...

- I believe all the icons on the favorites grid that I like so much are fetched via a duckduckgo service, ie DDG sees the domains you've favorited...

- Some network errors result in a black page, especially anything SSL-related. Very frustrating when it happens in a captive portal...

Re: DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro

#42
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> With a VPN, the VPN provider sees those IPs. How is that better? Because someone may trust the provider of the VPN more than they trust their ISP? > And why would I care that my internet provider sees those IPs in the first place? You might not. Other people do. It's not your place to decide what other people care about.

Comcast has no vested interest in not sharing/re-selling my data. also it provides a stable IPv4 with geoip tagging that both serves to de-anonymize me and make it easier for third-parties to track me. My VPN provider has a vested interest in not sharing or re-selling my data, if caught doing so it would cause a major loss of business for them and potentially permanently tarnish their reputation. Additionally they pr…

Comcast and $VPN_PROVIDER have a vested interest in staying in business, so they will gladly hand over the data to the friendly neighbourhood intelligence agency when requested.

Re: DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro

#44

Whatever this product is I feel the name is already a hindrance. Normal products don't have privacy in the name. Rightly or wrongly you will be judged when you say 'btw I use ... Privacy...'. The product should have strong privacy built into it and a commitment from the owners to keep it this way. Calling it something mundane and then competing on the merits of the product will favor mass adoption. How many users of…

"DuckDuckPro"

Re: DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro

#46
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Comcast has no vested interest in not sharing/re-selling my data. also it provides a stable IPv4 with geoip tagging that both serves to de-anonymize me and make it easier for third-parties to track me. My VPN provider has a vested interest in not sharing or re-selling my data, if caught doing so it would cause a major loss of business for them and potentially permanently tarnish their reputation. Additionally they pr…

Comcast and $VPN_PROVIDER have a vested interest in staying in business, so they will gladly hand over the data to the friendly neighbourhood intelligence agency when requested.

Agree, personally though $agency isn’t part of my threat model while my ISP most certainly is. I would even pay a premium if they offered similar privacy controls as a VPN, but they’d be publicly admitting to shenanigans that most of their customers are blissfully ignorant of!

Re: DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro

#47
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's few use cases outside of placebo. Torrenting without your ISP yelling at you, for one. Getting access to region-locked content, for another. Maybe regional pricing? You're right that at the end of the day, it's just someone else seeing where you visit. And frankly, I think VPN users would be a higher target of surveillance anyways. And if the VPN's company is from any 5-9-13-whatever-eyes country, you can ass…

One use-case you didn't mention is when the user doesn't want ShadyISP to sell their browsing habits (which are conveniently linked to a billing address, name, and more), despite the user understanding that governments could still potentially have access. > You're right that at the end of the day, it's just someone else seeing where you visit You write this as if it's some trivial little detail. Who that someone is t…

No need for $ShadyISP! A 2021 FTC (USA) report on the subscriber-data use policies of six major American ISPs found that:

“… many of the ISPs in our study surveil consumers, use and disseminate consumer data, and the privacy implications of such use and dissemination. “

source: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/look-what...

Everyone with an internet connection should at least read the Key Findings, just the first few pages of that report.

I assume that regional or small ISPs have similar practices, but these big ones have been M&A’d into massive orgs having control of “a much larger and broader cache of consumer data than ever before, without having to explain fully their purposes for such collection and use, much less whether such collection and use is good for consumers.”

Re: DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro

#48
post #7

What is the use case of a VPN? To hide the IPs of the servers you are visiting from your internet provider? With a VPN, the VPN provider sees those IPs. How is that better? And why would I care that my internet provider sees those IPs in the first place?

I mean, I trust Mullvad not to sell my internet traffic to 25 of the highest bidders, or hand it over to whatever three letter agency wants it because I say something that's a bit to unamerican.

And I get to circumvent the prying eyes of my ISP, office's BYOD network, etc.

Re: DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro

#49

Whatever this product is I feel the name is already a hindrance. Normal products don't have privacy in the name. Rightly or wrongly you will be judged when you say 'btw I use ... Privacy...'. The product should have strong privacy built into it and a commitment from the owners to keep it this way. Calling it something mundane and then competing on the merits of the product will favor mass adoption. How many users of…

"DuckDuckPro"

Nice
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