Tracking cookies have been a privacy menace for quite some time. While most web browsers of today offer anti-tracking features, the overall browser tracking protection strategy lacks significant impact. Either the web trackers continue to run or break website functionality when eliminated. DuckDuckGo, however, has come up with better tracking protection than previous strategies.
DuckDuckGo Offers Better Browser Tracking Protection
In a recent blog post, DuckDuckGo has elaborated on the prevalent browser tracking protection mechanisms and the way they allow web trackers.
This detailed take from the privacy-oriented service has arrived in the wake of Google’s recent move for blocking third-party cookies.
Briefly, the existing tracking protection measures for trackers tend to block them after they are loaded. In this way, the trackers still get a chance to know some information and build users’ profiles. Even if they lack third-party cookies, they still employ other methods for profiling via browser fingerprinting.
This is true for the existing tracking protections with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari as well. The robust cross-site trackers like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel will continue to bypass all mechanisms and chase users online.
Therefore, to combat this issue, DuckDuckGo offers more than simply blocking cookies. With the DuckDuckGo app and extension, the service simply prevents tracking elements from loading in the first place.
Explaining why they do so, the blog reads,
“To really stop cross-site web trackers, you need to totally block them from loading in your browser, as opposed to just restricting them after they load… By doing so, your browser will then stop automatically sending any of your information to these trackers just by visiting an unrelated website, making it harder for them to use your browsing history for filter bubbles, creepy ads, and more.
Though, blocking the trackers this way risks breaking website functionality, the DuckDuckGo extension prevents that. Hence, it not only assures better privacy to the users but also saves resources and accelerates page loading time.
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