THERE’S a new browser on the block and it could be set to turn the heads of even the staunchest Google Chrome fans.
DuckDuckGo on Tuesday announced a beta version of its privacy-focused web browser for Mac, with a Windows version coming soon.
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The U.S. company, which is best known for its secure search engine, already has a mobile app with millions of downloads.
A desktop version has been in the works for months and is said to make private browsing simpler than rivals such as Chrome and Safari.
That means it blocks third parties from tracking your browsing, shields your search history and more by default.
Other browsers offer these protections but they must be switched on by digging into your settings.
DuckDuckGo said in a blog post: “Our mobile apps make privacy the default with no complicated settings and no need to understand the ins and outs of the technology.
“You’ve downloaded them over 150M times since their launch in 2018, and we’ve heard your feedback that you want this same ‘privacy, simplified’ experience on your desktops and laptops.”
DuckDuckGo’s browser has built-in protections including private search, tracker blocking, website encryption, and email protection.
It also boasts new cookie pop-up protection and a “Fire Button” for one-click data clearing.
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The app is built to shield your information from prying eyes at a time when online data harvesting is as rampant as ever.
As well as privacy protections, DuckDuckGo says its browser is “really fast”, beating out Chrome on some graphics performance.
And it also has a load of handy features you can find on other browsers, such as a password manager and bookmarks.
On social media, fans urged people to switch to the privacy-focused app.
One wrote: “Keep your children safer switch to a browser that doesn’t track your kids #duckduckgo”.
Another said: “DuckDuckGo is an excellent browser … I’ve been using it for two months now and I don’t miss Google one bit… it’s the only way we have to push back! please switch now!”
Professor John Goodacre, director of the UKRI’s “Digital Security by Design” challenge and a professor of computer architectures at the University of Manchester, highlighted that browsers with additional privacy protections are now more important than ever.
He told The Sun: “Privacy is the currency against which convenience and relevance are often traded.
“The more products that can reduce the risk of cyber-harm by default and by design the better it will be for everyone.”
Other experts urged caution before any decision to switch your browser.
Yaniv Balmas, VP of research at Salt Security, told The Sun: “Major browsers like Chrome, Edge and others have been around for ages – enough time to battle test thousands of other security features that provide assurance against browser exploration, fraud, and many other aspects.
“Given the fact these browsers are well battle-tested, and that DuckDuckGo is still in beta mode and available for Mac only, this is a point that should be considered before switching your browser.”
To take part in the DuckDuckGo for Mac beta, interested users can join the private waitlist by downloading the DuckDuckGo mobile app.
Open the app and head to Settings, then open DuckDuckGo for Desktop from the More from DuckDuckGo section.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
