DuckDuckGo, the search alternative to Google, Yahoo and Bing, and subsequently one that is available as a default search option in Apple’s Safari browser recently took a jab at its competitors. The company CEO revealed that the DuckDuckGo search engine is profitable without tracking user behavior.
The CEO, Gabriel Weinberg, recently participated in a Q&A session at Hacker News this week where one person expressed concern that DuckDuckGo could potentially disappear if it doesn’t make any money. As part of his response, Weinberg explained that the company is already profitable, all while taking a quick jab at Google. He said the following regarding the matter:
It is a myth that you need to track people to make money in Web search. Most of the money is still made without tracking people by showing you ads based on your keyword, i.e. type in car and get a car ad.
These ads are lucrative because people have buying intent. All that tracking is for the rest of the Internet without this search intent, and that's why you're tracked across the Internet with those same ads.
These ads are lucrative because people have buying intent. All that tracking is for the rest of the Internet without this search intent, and that's why you're tracked across the Internet with those same ads.
Although Google remains the out-of-the-box option for Safari, Apple has ended up swapping to Bing for queries that are run by Siri as well as the Spotlight search on both its iOS and OS X platform.
Weinberg, during the Q&A also disclosed that information revealed by the NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden, helped to grow DuckDuckGo. He also revealed other events that helped to accelerate the growth of the search engine such as when Google changed their privacy policy to allow tracking across all of their online services back in 2012. He continued by stating the following:
There are still no good limits on online tracking and as a result it continues to get crazier and crazier and more people are reacting. It was already heading in that direction pre-Snowden.
Source: Hacker News
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