DuckDuckGo Enables Global Privacy Control By Default In Its Apps And Extensions

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DuckDuckGo has announced that it’s turning on the Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser setting by default in its mobile apps and desktop extensions.

As part of its effort to help users keep their privacy online, DuckDuckGo became a founding member of a new privacy standard called Global Privacy Control (GPC) – a browser setting that tells websites that users want privacy while they browse.

In addition to tracker blocking, private search, and other privacy tools, DuckDuckGo is now turning on GPC by default in its iOS and Android apps and its desktop extension, DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browsers.

As the company explains in a recent announcement:

“While we already block most tracking while browsing, we believe GPC will ultimately provide additional legal protection in certain jurisdictions for situations where websites might otherwise sell or share your data with other companies that may profit or benefit from it (such as selling data you give them to advertisers or data brokers after your visit).”

Further to the above, DuckDuckGo has announced that some big publishers, like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Automattic (the company behind WordPress), are now committed to implementing GPC – and The New York Times has already implemented it.

[Tweet DuckDuckGo has announced that it’s turning on the Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser setting by default in its mobile apps and desktop extensions.”]

When you download the latest version of DuckDuckGo on your phone, or use an extension in your browser and visit The New York Times from regions like California, Europe, Brazil, UAE, or Bermuda, you will automatically be opted out of certain tracking.

To check if GPC is enabled while you browse, go to globalprivacycontrol.org and check if you can see “GPC signal detected” at the top of the page.