DuckDuckGo Privacy Extension not so private

DuckDuckGo recently made changes to their browser extension which turns it into an adblocker and privacy advocate, stalling websites that would like to track you and sell your behaviour to the nearest (not necessarily highest) bidder.

It sounds great, until you install the extension and realise you’re trading one privacy exposure for another. As the picture above makes clear, you’re allowing the extension to read everything you post on a website, including your passwords. To be fair, this is not uncommon with adblockers, but it is also not necessary; 1Blocker and Better adblocker, for a couple of examples, do it properly:

I don’t know who’s really behind DuckDuckGo or what they really do with the data they can see from my web browsing. I know no more about them than I know about those behind all the adtrackers and other spyware that the DuckDuckGo extension is trying to block (while being able to read my passwords and potentially track my browsing habits).

DuckDuckGo may have a good reputation, but there’s a whiff of the hypocritical in a tool that promises to protect you from spying that can itself potentially spy on you.

Sorry, but that’s not the kind of tool I need to protect my privacy. I immediately uninstalled it.

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