DuckDuckGo to block Microsoft trackers amid backlash

SAN FRANCISCO: Following the May disclosure that the privacy-focused online browser DuckDuckGo permits Microsoft to track scripts on external sites, the platform now claims to begin banning those as well.

The platform said it was announcing more privacy and transparency around DuckDuckGo's web tracking protections after community backlash.

"Over the next week, we will expand the third-party tracking scripts we block from loading on websites to include scripts from Microsoft in our browsing apps (iOS and Android) and our browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and Opera), with beta apps to follow in the coming month," the platform said in a blogpost.

DuckDuckGo said this expands its 3rd-Party Tracker Loading Protection, which blocks identified tracking scripts from Facebook, Google, and other companies from loading on third-party websites, to now include third-party Microsoft tracking scripts.

This web tracking protection is not offered by most other popular browsers by default and sits on top of many other DuckDuckGo protections.

To further deliver on its commitment to transparency, the privacy-focused online browser said it has posted a new help page that offers a comprehensive explanation of all the web tracking protections we provide across platforms.

"Users now have one place to look if they want to understand the different kinds of web privacy protections we offer on the platforms they use," the platform said.