Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo)

Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by yegg on Monday July 14, 2025 @06:59AM (#44558633)

This title is highly misleading, implying that Google tracks DuckDuckGo searches directly, which isn’t true. It also reinforces a conspiracy theory that we’re owned by Google, which also of course isn’t true. Kindly please change it to be more accurate about Google analytics and other Google trackers on websites you may visit.

We’ve been sounding the alarm about Google analytics, tag manager, and other Google trackers for years and why we started making our own extensions and browsers to block them and provide more comprehensive protection. On our homepage and everywhere else we can we try to get people to install those to get that additional protection, which you can compare here: https://duckduckgo.com/compare-privacy

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by RamblingCTO on Monday July 14, 2025 @08:10AM (#44559210)

The threat is real though and I've recently noticed an uptick in the google SSO popup, which is just another way of tracking. Most notably on pornhub. I'm not too keen to let them know what I have a wank to.

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by jannes on Monday July 14, 2025 @07:59AM (#44559095)

DDG is only one piece in the privacy puzzle. I think the article doesn't make it clear enough that other pieces are necessary.

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by FabHK on Monday July 14, 2025 @07:25AM (#44558842)

I don't think the title implies that Google is tracking DuckDuckGo searches directly, just that using DuckDuckGo instead of Google often doesn't prevent Google from tracking you. The article also makes clear that using DuckDuckGo is an improvement, just not enough.

Furthermore, I don't see any intimation in the article that Google owns DuckDuckGo.

All in all, it seems you and the article are on the same page.

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by nottorp on Monday July 14, 2025 @07:27AM (#44558863)

The way i read it, it implies that DuckDuckGo should protect you from tracking on the sites it points to and it's not doing a good job.

They could have done a marketing blog post about the evils of Google Analytics without dragging DDG into this...

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by unsupp0rted on Monday July 14, 2025 @07:23AM (#44558826)

According to the link, using DuckDuckGo's browser basically eliminates the threat 100%, particularly if paired with a VPN?

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by basquiyacht on Monday July 14, 2025 @07:32AM (#44558901)

Edit: I can see that it reads like that. Thats not the point. DDG are not the bad guys. Google is.

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by jacquesm on Monday July 14, 2025 @07:45AM (#44558990)

Any chance of a Linux version of your browser?

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by blackoil on Monday July 14, 2025 @07:28AM (#44558865)

Yeah. This is simple fear mongering to sell its own analytics product.

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by bentlegen on Monday July 14, 2025 @07:55AM (#44559062)

Hopefully you won’t mind me using their own arguments to promote this OSS web analytics project instead:

https://counterscale.dev/

Unlike Simple Analytics (the post authors), you deploy Counterscale to your own Cloudflare account and control the code + data end-to-end. It also uses no cookies, has no browser fingerprinting, and has no monetized SaaS offering.

It only has 90 days retention though, which could be viewed positively.

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by blackoil on Monday July 14, 2025 @08:11AM (#44559213)

I am all for the hustle. Startups are difficult. So, even though I don't like the post, I understand it is done because it works.

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Re:Google is tracking you (even when using DuckDuckGo) by figmert on Monday July 14, 2025 @09:03AM (#44559723)

It's simple fear mongering and aimed at the wrong audience. Companies want people tracked to improve their ads and have a higher reach. The people who are being tracked can't exactly do much about what tracking system a website uses.

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