DuckDuckGo has addressed allegations that it uses browser fingerprinting to track its users.
These allegations were posted on the message board of the security software company Whonix.
A user stated: “DuckDuckGo is using the Canvas DOMRect API on their search engine. Canvas is employed to create unique geometry measurements on target browsers, and the DOMRect API uses rectangles. This can be verified with the CanvasBlocker Firefox add-on by Korbinian Kapsner.”
As a search engine dedicated to privacy, using fingerprinting would contradict DuckDuckGo’s core principles.
However, the company asserts that these allegations are false.
Brian Stoner, DuckDuckGo’s VP of Search, replied to the message board thread:
“Hi, I work for DuckDuckGo and wanted to clarify that we absolutely do NOT engage in any fingerprinting whatsoever. Our privacy policy is very clear on this: ‘We don’t collect or share personal information.’ We utilize a variety of browser APIs to deliver a search experience that is competitive with Google’s. Many ‘fingerprint’ protection extensions take a scorched earth approach, blocking any browser API that could be exploited by a bad actor.”
A moderator of the Whonix forum added a comment to remind readers that it would be a violation of Federal Trade Commission regulations if DuckDuckGo were to claim privacy while fingerprinting users.
“Also a note to readers: If a company acts contrary to its claims, the FTC would step in and penalize them for fraudulent claims. It would be easy to discover if fingerprinting was occurring.”
With this clarification, it appears that DuckDuckGo is genuinely upholding the privacy of its users.
