Posted on March 24, 2018 at 8:35 AM
DuckDuckGo and Vivaldi Assure Users that No One Will be Watching
In response to user data breaches and unauthorized user tracking scandals, many of us feel that the web may not be a safe place. If you have never heard of Duck Duck Go or Vivaldi, you may be interested to know that they have a security solution for the tired-of-being tracked a user. Neither company follows their users’ activities, nor do they record user data. The two have teamed up to offer a better way to search and browse.
From Opera to Vivaldi- safer browsing
Former Opera CEO Joh Stephenson von Tetzchner created Vivaldi in April of 2016. He has been critical of Google, and their policy of tracking user behavior and created a competitor that is different in one very important respect. No tracking. Vivaldi users can enjoy all of the bells and whistles they are accustomed to from a browser, including tabs and customizable UIs. The browser works for the big three, Windows, Linux and Mac. It currently has over one million users worldwide.
The Search Engine that Doesn’t Track You
DuckDuckGo is a search engine that recently recorded 14 million searches per day. By record, though, we just mean that they know someone searched something at that frequency. DuckDuckGo does not track its users’ search words or activity. They do not collect user data, and certainly, don’t share data. Their slogan is “the search engine that doesn’t track you.” The search engine has been specifically optimized for user security and privacy.
Partners for Privacy
Vivaldi and DuckDuckGo are teaming up to create the ultimate in untracked web experience. DuckDuckGo will be the built-in search engine on Vivaldi- even in Private Window mode (the equivalent of Google’s Incognito). This means that users will be able to browse the web, and no one will be watching. It shouldn’t be such a novel thought, but these days the offering is unique.
The team announced their partnership via press release on March 22. Stephenson von Tetzchner says that the need for complete privacy on the web is apparent. Concern about user privacy is growing, and situations like the Cambridge Analytica use of Facebook data give users a good reason for concern. Vivaldi and DuckDuckGo are pleased to be offering a solution for some of the issues with user data tracking. Vivaldi is the first web browser to enable DuckDuckGo for its private windows search function.
In some countries, users have a right to be forgotten. The EU, UK, and Argentina allow users to request that their information is deleted from servers. The rest of the world has no such right. Websites and search engines track billions of users, every day. The data collected is stored, sold, used for advertising, or shared with government entities. Hiding one’s user activity has become the only way to ensure that no one is watching. The Vivaldi and DuckDuckGo partnership helps to bridge the gaps in self-security.
