- Google versus DuckDuckGo.
We all know that Google's business model
is built around tracking our searches and customizing ads.
But for a privacy conscious consumer like yourself,
it's hard to know how worrisome this really is
and what power we have to fight it.
And to prove this isn't just some sort of conspiracy theory,
you can open up a new tab right now on your computer
and follow along with me here.
I'm gonna type in the same search term
in Google and DuckDuckGo.
But instead of clicking on the link here,
I'm gonna right click and copy the link
so that you can see what's going on behind the scenes.
This is just one example but check it out.
The link that you click on Google
contains a lot more than you realize.
It's passing along parameters
that log a ton of information about your search,
including where you searched from,
whether you were logged in,
what kind of search link you clicked,
whether it was an image, an ad or a search result,
and likely other information
hidden behind Google-generated hashes
which are these indecipherable
letter and number combinations.
When you click a link on DuckDuckGo on the other hand,
the link is the direct URL.
That's the privacy difference in a nutshell.
But throughout the rest of this video,
you're gonna learn what you have to give up
in order to gain that kind of privacy.
Welcome to "All Things Secured".
My name's Josh and if you're online privacy
and security is a priority for you,
you've come to the right place.
In fact, while you're here, go ahead
and click that subscribe button
so you don't miss out on more videos
that will help you protect your online identity.
Now, when it comes to Google services,
things like YouTube, g-mail, Google Drive
and, of course, the flagship Google search page,
the biggest hurdle, the one problem that makes it so hard
to move away from their services is this,
they're simply the best.
No other search engine compares to Google. Period.
Not Yahoo, not Bing, and yes, not even DuckDuckGo.
Google serves up the best, most relevant search results.
And in many cases, they're able to understand
the intent behind your question
and sometimes even answer it before you click on anything.
That's incredible!
And to top it off, Google is constantly running experiments
and updating the search algorithm
to improve it on a daily basis.
I tell you all this
because when you're weighing the difference
between using Google and DuckDuckGo,
the two variables we're messing with here
are privacy and search quality.
You either have excellent search quality
with less than desirable privacy
or you choose excellent anonymity
with less than desirable search results.
Now I'm not saying that DuckDuckGo
is a terrible search engine.
I think it's excellent, in fact.
I'm simply pointing out that Google search quality
is influenced in no small part
by the information it collects from you.
DuckDuckGo's privacy policy, on the other hand,
guarantees that they won't have this same advantage.
For example, because Google tracks your search
and browsing history on the internet,
they create a profile on you
and serve up search results that match that profile.
The easiest way to explain this is,
let's say that somebody is researching
for their holiday in Nova Scotia.
They've been looking at hotels
and things worth seeing in the area.
Well, when they finally go to search for flights to Sydney,
Google will make that educated guess
that this person is looking to fly to Sydney, Nova Scotia.
DuckDuckGo, because they don't have access
to that same search history,
would have to assume that the person
is searching for the more popular Australian destination.
That's an obvious example
but most people don't realize
that the search results you get on Google
are not always the same one somebody else gets,
even if they have the same question.
Usually that means better quality search results.
But I know that DuckDuckGo might argue
that this often creates an echo chamber
where Google serves up the answer you want,
not necessarily the answer that you need.
And if you've seen "The Social Dilemma" documentary,
you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Okay, let me give you a quick comparison
of Google and DuckDuckGo
and finally show you how you can make the best use
of DuckDuckGo if that's something you wanna do.
First, both Google and DuckDuckGo
make money off of advertising.
The difference is that Google's ads
are based on your personal information
and DuckDuckGo's are based solely on the search term itself.
Google's privacy policy clearly states
that you are trusting your data with them.
DuckDuckGo doesn't collect any personal data at all.
Google tracks your movement across the internet.
While DuckDuckGo actively blocks this kind of tracking,
from Google, Facebook and others.
It's estimated that Google has more than 90%
of global search market share,
while DuckDuckGo has less than 1%.
Google offers personalized search results.
While DuckDuckGo gives you general search results.
Overall, as I said at the top of this video,
Google gives you the better search quality
while DuckDuckGo provides the best privacy.
Okay, last thing here, it's possible to simply type
DuckDuckGo.com into your browser and use the search engine.
But the best way to make use of their privacy features
is to download the browser extension on your desktop browser
and the mobile app on your phone or tablet.
In both cases, just go to DuckDuckGo.com/app
and click on the appropriate download link.
And no, this is not a sponsored video.
Using the extension or mobile app
will make DuckDuckGo your default search engine.
But more than that,
it only loads encrypted versions of websites
and blocks all website trackers.
If privacy is your priority,
it's worth giving DuckDuckGo a try.
And if this video is useful and entertaining,
give it a thumbs up.
I'll do my best to answer all the questions
in the comments below.