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DuckDuckGo announced that it would introduce a new feature that will prevent apps from tracking users’ online behavior. It will be available for free and poised to be the first time Android users are getting an option that works similar to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency.
Online privacy has been a hotly discussed topic over the last year after Apple introduced the App Tracking Transparency on iPhones and iPads. WhatsApp also faced a PR dilemma after initially trying to force its more than two billion users to agree to privacy policy changes that included sharing some data to its parent company Facebook, now Meta.
With that, the announcement of DuckDuckGo’s upcoming feature should be another welcome development, especially since Android is outstandingly used by more people around that world than iOS and iPadOS. In a blog post, DuckDuckGo said its “App Tracking Protection” feature would be integrated into its existing browser app on Android. Even better, the company confirmed that it would be accessible for free, just like its privacy-focused browser.
Many apps can now track users when they use another app on their phone. Data from this activity can then be sent to other companies, advertisers, and even governments. This is why many of the online ads people see today are quite specific to the things they search or look at on other websites and mobile apps. But DuckDuckGo says this practice is one of the things that its upcoming App Tracking Protection feature would prevent.
Enabling the feature would allow DuckDuckGo to detect and block apps from sending a user’s data to a third party. The App Tracking Protection is designed to run in the background, so it should work even when the user is asleep or not using their device.
“App Tracking Protection is not a virtual private network (VPN), though your device will recognize it as one,” DuckDuckGo added. “This is because App Tracking Protection uses a local “VPN connection” which means that it works its magic right on your smartphone.”
DuckDuckGo’s App Tracking Protection is currently in beta. Android users who want to experience this privacy feature before its official launch can join a private waitlist. They can do it once they install the DuckDuckGo browser on Android, proceed to the app’s Privacy Settings, and press the “Join the Private Waitlist” button.
