DuckDuckGo is a browser and search engine designed to help people protect their privacy online. It doesn’t track your browsing activities, unlike popular search engines such as Google and Bing.
It’s used by people who value their privacy and don’t want to be tracked by large corporations and “big data.”
If you came across your partner using DuckDuckGo, you may be wondering whether they are using it for cheating. After all, you may have heard how DuckDuckGo can help you “hide your online activity.”
In this article, you will learn all you need to know about DuckDuckGo and whether it can be used for cheating or not.
Quick Summary
DuckDuckGo is a search engine that focuses on protecting your privacy on the web. It is not usually used for cheating.
Instead, it is a harmless tool that many people who worry about being tracked by big data use to avoid having their data sold to large companies.
However, it could potentially be used for cheating, as it doesn’t save your search browsing history, unlike other browsers. Still, almost all DuckDuckGo users use it for non-nefarious reasons.
So, if you see your partner using DuckDuckGo, don’t worry! There’s a 99% chance that there’s nothing to it.
What Is DuckDuckGo?
DuckDuckGo is a search engine that helps protect your privacy. It doesn’t track your search history or your browsing activities, unlike the most popular search engines, such as Google and Bing.
It can be accessed on the website or through its browser apps and browser extensions.
Not only does DuckDuckGo not track your search history and browsing activity, but it also helps prevent other websites from tracking you.
For example, when using the DuckDuckGo browser, it blocks third-party website tracking URLs that are active in the background and track your activity on the web.
It has website crawlers that crawl the internet for common tracking services, like Google Analytics, and then adds them to its list of trackers it blocks.
If you use the Android app, it can even block trackers in third-party apps installed on your device.
In addition, it can block Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) sites so that Google doesn’t track you, serving you the publisher’s main site instead.
You can also turn on Global Privacy Control, which is a feature that automatically tells websites you visit not to share your information.
DuckDuckGo also has some other privacy-focused tools, such as an email service that blocks third-party email trackers.
How Can You Use DuckDuckGo?
DuckDuckGo can be accessed at DuckDuckGo.com from any browser. However, to enjoy its full protection capabilities, you should download the DuckDuckGo browser for Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS.
It’s also possible to use DuckDuckGo in your existing browser, such as Chrome or Firefox, by downloading its extension for other browsers. That will make it your default search engine and allow you to enjoy many of DuckDuckGo’s privacy features.
Benefits of Using DuckDuckGo
It Doesn’t Track Your Search History
One of the main reasons people use DuckDuckGo is that it doesn’t keep track of your search history. You can search for whatever you want without worrying about some large corporation knowing all about you, what you searched for, and what you are interested in.
Your searches say a lot about you! If someone knows your searches, they know your interests, concerns, and even your deepest fears.
It can even reveal your location! For example, if you search for directions to a specific restaurant, it’s probably because you plan on going there.
It can also reveal when you are going on vacation and where. For example, if you suddenly start searching for places to visit in Paris when you normally live in New York City, it’s probably because you’re visiting Paris.
It Blocks Cookies and Trackers
DuckDuckGo not only doesn’t track you itself, but it also blocks third-party trackers. It blocks both cookies and third-party trackers to avoid having your information tracked and sold online.
Trackers from Google, Facebook, and other sites are all over the web. DuckDuckGo prevents them from loading in the first place, ensuring they never get a chance to track you.
Protects Your Email Privacy
As I mentioned, if you use the email service included in DuckDuckGo, you will also block unwanted email trackers.
According to DuckDuckGo, 85% of emails that were sent via DuckDuckGo had hidden trackers embedded in them.
Email tracking allows tracking services to determine which emails are being opened, which links in the emails are being clicked on and by whom, and a lot more!
DuckDuckGo strips the trackers from the email and then sends the email to your regular email inbox. It also allows you to hide your real email address from websites when you sign up for newsletters or when creating accounts.
It Reduces Ads
DuckDuckGo doesn’t have as many ads as other popular search engines such as Google and Bing, where ads can become incredibly excessive.
Viewing ads on DuckDuckGo doesn’t invade your privacy in any way.
However, when you click on ads, the experience will be managed by Microsoft Ads. Nevertheless, it will not build a user profile surrounding your behavior, unlike other popular advertising networks.
In other words, when you see ads on DuckDuckGo, they are based on the specific search term you just entered in the search bar.
That is unlike other popular search engines, where ads are often targeted to you based on your previous search history and the user profile that the search engine built for you based on your prior activities.
Blocks Tracking on Android
The DuckDuckGo Android app blocks trackers present in other apps. The vast majority of Android apps request access to important information, whether that is your gallery, storage, location, or camera.
DuckDuckGo blocks trackers that are present in other apps. It works in the background to keep you safe at all times.
Is DuckDuckGo Free to Use?
Yes, DuckDuckGo is free to use. It doesn’t cost any money to use the DuckDuckGo search engine, browser apps, mobile app, or browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, etc.
However, DuckDuckGo does offer an optional premium subscription service called Privacy Pro. Privacy Pro offers three main services, and it costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year. See here for updated pricing information.
Here are the services it offers:
- VPN: With the DuckDuckGo VPN, you can mask your real IP address and prevent website owners from discovering your IP address and location.
- Personal information removal: DuckDuckGo will scan over 50 data broker sites that store personal information for your details, such as your name, address, phone number, etc. You can then sit back as it takes care of the process of requesting that your data be removed from these sites.
- Identity fraud protection: If your identity is ever stolen, DuckDuckGo will work to help you recover your losses. It will get in touch with your bank to reverse fraudulent transactions, work on removing harmful activity from your credit report, and more!
These are extra services that aren’t really related to the main use cases of DuckDuckGo, though.
They are additional products that you might find useful, but you can always use DuckDuckGo without them, without any limitations.
How Can DuckDuckGo Be Used for Cheating?
It’s uncommon for DuckDuckGo to be used for cheating. It’s a search engine and browser, not a text messaging service.
However, there are a few reasons why cheaters may decide to use DuckDuckGo. Let’s go over them.
It Hides Your Search History
Photo by Pexels
One of the main reasons a cheater would use DuckDuckGo is that it hides your search history.
When you use a regular browser, such as Google Chrome, it stores your search history. You can manually delete it, but that’s an extra step that many people forget to do.
If someone is searching for terms such as “webcam girls” or “best ways to prevent your partner from finding out you are cheating” or “hookup apps,” they probably don’t want those search terms saved in their history if their partner has access to their devices.
When you use DuckDuckGo, it doesn’t save your search history. A cheater wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally forgetting to delete their search history each time they leave their computer.
You might be wondering, “Does DuckDuckGo really not save your search history?” The answer is, indeed, they don’t.
In fact, even if they get a request from a governmental agency to provide someone’s search history, they can’t do it, since they don’t store it in the first place.
They Think It Will Help Them Avoid Detection
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The truth is that while DuckDuckGo prevents big companies from tracking your data, it doesn’t actually help cheaters avoid detection. Big companies want your data; they don’t care if you’re cheating or not.
They have so much data they want to analyze to build user profiles (which are often anonymized) of their users. The point of all of that is to serve more targeted ads, based on those user profiles.
The better a picture they get of you, the more targeted they can make the ads that they show you. And, the more targeted the ads, the higher the conversion rate, which means more profit for their advertising partners and them.
However, some people who aren’t really aware of how all of that works may think that DuckDuckGo can help them avoid detection when cheating. They probably read somewhere that DuckDuckGo hides their identity online, and without understanding the nuances, they thought that using DuckDuckGo can prevent their infidelity from getting uncovered.
My Partner Is Using DuckDuckGo – Are They Cheating?
Most probably, not. Most people use DuckDuckGo because they just don’t want big corporations to have access to their data.
It’s not because they are cheating. If they are cheating, they probably are using some sort of text messaging app, such as TextNow, to text the person they are cheating with.
Or, they may be using their normal messaging application but deleting texts. Either way, DuckDuckGo might keep searches private, but it doesn’t offer any sort of communication capabilities, whether texting or calling.
Of course, it is possible that your partner is cheating. However, most likely, their use of DuckDuckGo really has nothing to do with it.
If they are cheating, their using DuckDuckGo would most likely be a coincidence.
What Should I Do If My Partner Is Using DuckDuckGo?
I would definitely not recommend accusing them of infidelity or hiding something just because they are using DuckDuckGo. That’s a big no-no!
You will come across as paranoid and overly suspicious. Nobody likes a paranoid and overly jealous partner who accuses them of wrongdoing when they haven’t done anything wrong.
If you notice your partner using DuckDuckGo, you might want to casually ask them why they prefer using DuckDuckGo instead of Google. Most likely, they will tell you that it’s because they value their online privacy, and chances are they would be telling you the truth.
So How Can I Tell If My Partner Is Cheating?
Photo by Pexels
Unfortunately, finding out if your partner is cheating isn’t always easy. However, there may be some red flags that should set off alarm bells in your head.
Some red flags that may indicate cheating include:
- Your partner suddenly starts protecting their devices with a passcode
- Your partner suddenly becomes secretive and protective of their devices
- You notice your partner suddenly working late all the time
- Physical intimacy has suddenly stopped
- You are arguing all the time
- You notice suspicious text messages pop up on their phone
These could all indicate cheating behavior, but there could be other reasons for these actions as well.
For example, your partner might be protecting their phone with a passcode because their work required them to or because they realized that their data could be stolen if their phone is stolen.
Or, they may be actually working overtime at their job and not meeting someone after work. Physical intimacy may have stopped due to arguments between you or because your partner is overly stressed, causing them to experience a lower sex drive.
That’s why having a deep, honest, face-to-face conversation with your partner is so important. Instead of automatically jumping to conclusions and accusing them of having someone else when there may be other issues bothering them, try to have a conversation like adults.
Relationships are built on successful and honest communication.
However, if your partner stonewalls you and refuses to engage in conversation, or if they start accusing you or gaslighting you, you have a right to become suspicious and start digging deeper.
Conclusion
Just because your partner is using DuckDuckGo, that doesn’t mean they are cheating. DuckDuckGo doesn’t track or save your search history, but that’s about it.
There’s not much someone can do with DuckDuckGo to help them cheat other than search for stuff online, and they always have the option of doing so in incognito mode even when using a regular browser.
So, if you notice your partner using DuckDuckGo, don’t jump to conclusions! Ninety-nine percent of the time, it means absolutely nothing, and your partner is not cheating on you (and if they are, it has nothing to do with their using DuckDuckGo).
