DuckDuckGo, the world’s popular privacy-centric search engine, has introduced its own privacy protections for Android users. The company has introduced a new anti-tracking feature called ‘App Tracking Protection’ that will automatically block third-party apps from tracking your data. The new privacy feature has been added to the DuckDuckGo Android app.
According to DuckDuckGo, this new tool is aimed at enhancing the privacy of Android users. The company in a blog post said, “These hidden app trackers are super creepy because they can track everything you do in an app and also can continue to track you even when you’re not using the app.” Currently, this feature is in beta testing and is available in the beta version of the Android app. Users can join the waitlist under Settings » App Tracking Protection in the Android app of DuckDuckGo.
DuckDuckGo’s Anti-tracking System Works for All Installed Apps
The newly added anti-tracking system by DuckDuckGo works by setting up a firewall on your Android phone. This firewall blocks all traffic sources, which it identifies as trackers — similar to ad-blocking apps like AdGuard, etc. While Android classifies this as a VPN, DuckDuckGo clarifies that the system does not route app data through remote servers. Instead, all blocking happens locally on the device itself. So, there is no trade-off in connection speed or concern about your data being compromised.
Since the App Tracking Protection feature wors by setting up a firewall on your device, it blocks trackers on all installed apps. When you have enabled the App Tracking Protection in the DuckDuckGo app, it will automatically detect when Android apps try to send data to third-party tracking companies. When it finds trackers matching its app tracker dataset, it will block all those requests. Moreover, you will also be able to see which apps want to track you and where they’re trying to send data.
