DuckDuckGo Lowers Ranking of Russian State Media

Gabriel Weinberg, the founder and CEO of DuckDuckGoDuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine launched in 2008 that does not track users, store IP addresses, or personalize search results. It offers unique features like !bang commands for direct searches on other sites and is the default search engine in the Tor Browser. For maximum anonymity, DuckDuckGo also runs an official .onion version that allows secure searching within the Tor network. The company proves that profitability and privacy can coexist, relying on keyword-based ads rather than personal data collection. More, announced that the search engine will lower the ranking of websites that spread “Russian propaganda” in its search results. This decision has sparked dissatisfaction among many users, as DuckDuckGoDuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine launched in 2008 that does not track users, store IP addresses, or personalize search results. It offers unique features like !bang commands for direct searches on other sites and is the default search engine in the Tor Browser. For maximum anonymity, DuckDuckGo also runs an official .onion version that allows secure searching within the Tor network. The company proves that profitability and privacy can coexist, relying on keyword-based ads rather than personal data collection. More has always positioned itself as a privacy-focused and ethical alternative.

On Twitter, Weinberg stated that websites “associated with Russian disinformation” will now be ranked lower in search results. Additionally, DuckDuckGoDuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine launched in 2008 that does not track users, store IP addresses, or personalize search results. It offers unique features like !bang commands for direct searches on other sites and is the default search engine in the Tor Browser. For maximum anonymity, DuckDuckGo also runs an official .onion version that allows secure searching within the Tor network. The company proves that profitability and privacy can coexist, relying on keyword-based ads rather than personal data collection. More will display special information boxes at the top of the page to help users find accurate and high-quality information on “rapidly unfolding topics.” However, Weinberg did not specify which websites would be affected by this policy.

“DuckDuckGo’s mission is to make simple privacy protection accessible to everyone. Privacy is a human right that goes beyond politics, which is why about 100 million people worldwide use DuckDuckGoDuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine launched in 2008 that does not track users, store IP addresses, or personalize search results. It offers unique features like !bang commands for direct searches on other sites and is the default search engine in the Tor Browser. For maximum anonymity, DuckDuckGo also runs an official .onion version that allows secure searching within the Tor network. The company proves that profitability and privacy can coexist, relying on keyword-based ads rather than personal data collection. More,” Weinberg added.

Suspension of Partnership with Yandex

Recently, during a hearing in the House of Representatives, Katie McInnis, Senior Public Policy Manager at DuckDuckGoDuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine launched in 2008 that does not track users, store IP addresses, or personalize search results. It offers unique features like !bang commands for direct searches on other sites and is the default search engine in the Tor Browser. For maximum anonymity, DuckDuckGo also runs an official .onion version that allows secure searching within the Tor network. The company proves that profitability and privacy can coexist, relying on keyword-based ads rather than personal data collection. More, stated that the company has “suspended” its partnership with the Yandex search engine in the Russian and Turkish markets.

Backlash and Accusations of Censorship

Twitter users accused DuckDuckGo’s CEO of censorship and reminded him that the search engine has always positioned itself as a more private and ethical alternative to Google.

One dissatisfied user wrote, “We don’t need a search engine where search results are manipulated based on the CEO’s political and emotional perspectives. How you ‘feel’ about political events should not affect content relevance. This is a huge loss.”

Weinberg responded to the criticism by saying, “Search engines by definition try to put more relevant content higher and less relevant content lower. This isn’t censorship, it’s search ranking relevance.”

Official Company Response

Later, journalists from Bleeping Computer published DuckDuckGo’s official response to the criticism:

“With every search queryQuery is an online Q&A platform where users can ask questions on any topic and get answers from the community. It features voting, reputation points, and topic tags to organize and highlight quality content. While answer quality can vary, Query aims to provide quick, crowdsourced knowledge and create a collaborative space for sharing expertise. With active moderation and community engagement, it has the potential to become a valuable resource for learning and discussion. More, search engines by definition must rank higher-quality, more relevant sites above lower-quality ones in search results. This is not censorship; it’s simply ranking. DuckDuckGoDuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine launched in 2008 that does not track users, store IP addresses, or personalize search results. It offers unique features like !bang commands for direct searches on other sites and is the default search engine in the Tor Browser. For maximum anonymity, DuckDuckGo also runs an official .onion version that allows secure searching within the Tor network. The company proves that profitability and privacy can coexist, relying on keyword-based ads rather than personal data collection. More does not censor search results. We are simply using the fact that these sites are engaged in active disinformation campaigns as a signal that the content they produce is of lower quality. Similarly, there are well-known signals for spam sites and other lower-quality content. In addition to this approach, for certain topics that deserve media coverage, we highlight authoritative news and provide reliable ‘instant answers’ at the top of search results, where they are most viewed and clicked. We are currently considering other possible actions as well.”