this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025

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Privacy

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DuckDuckGo Gone Rogue (lemmus.org)

submitted 4 weeks ago by anon@lemmus.org to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

32 comments fedilink hide all child comments

They've decided to incorporate ChatGPT.

all 34 comments

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[–] Xanza@lemm.ee 88 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

I mean, this seems like a really stupid gripe. You can completely disable it for your searches: https://i.xno.dev/FUHSj.png

In addition, it gives you a way to interface with ChatGPT without an account, or using the API, and maintaining privacy... I see this as an absolute win. They stay competitive by including AI for people who can't live without, while making it completely optional. Offering duck.ai is a smart move, too. I just don't see the issue here.

[–] AnAmericanPotato@programming.dev 38 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

Defaults matter. Every time you open a private browsing window, that's what you're going to get. Every time you use LibreWolf or Firefox Focus or any other browser that disables/clears cookies by default (which is a good practice), that's what you're going to get.

I don't want anything I search for going into OpenAI. Ever. I'd feel fine about this if they hosted their own models.

[–] harsh3466@lemmy.ml 31 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

This. I fucking hate that it's opt out. Every goddamn time I open Firefox and run a search I gotta disable the stupid AI bullshit.

[–] criitz@reddthat.com 13 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (2 children)

I don't think it AI's your search immediately. It just shows you the option to generate an AI response. At least that's how it's been working for me. It's not doing anything unless you hit that button.

[–] EngineerGaming@feddit.nl 4 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Sometimes it is a button, but oftentimes it is just there by default :(

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 3 points 4 weeks ago

It’s been hit and miss for me. It feels like there’s some cached queries that it presents the AI results for without user interaction. But it’s very clearly marked.

[–] kusivittula@sopuli.xyz 2 points 3 weeks ago

use ddg light, it has no AI

[–] LiveLM@lemmy.zip 4 points 4 weeks ago

Duck.ai is so good, I don't bother with anything else

[–] cronenthal@discuss.tchncs.de 30 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

On second thought, maybe they're doing the right thing. Offering what the competition does with improved privacy and the option to switch it off completely. I personally think LLMs are pretty bad at real-life queries, but ultimately the users will have to decide.

[–] Flagstaff@programming.dev 8 points 4 weeks ago

They've helped me figure out some nested spreadsheet formulas that were pretty complicated to me.

What typically happens is that they mess up, but their malfunctioning code still has something in it that I hadn't considered, which leads me in the right direction. They have their place in terms of helpfulness when you can't or don't want to wait for someone.

[–] superglue@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I use ducks AI chat to help me with small tasks and its honestly pretty great. Always worked and has provided me with useful results.

They claim its anonymous, maybe they are lying, maybe they are not. I make sure to rinse anything I put in there first just in case.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 weeks ago

I really worry about places that claim that AI access is anonymous.

The models they're using aren't super cheap to run and they don't get a lot cheaper with scale.

When you are the product, and the anonymize the data that they sell to people, They still have your correlations there somewhere. If they get hacked, or sold, with a simply change their business model you are at risk.

[–] nul9o9@lemmy.world 14 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I switched to using searxng instances a while ago. Its getting the job done.

[–] XTL@sopuli.xyz 3 points 4 weeks ago

I think searx is using POST or something, which means you can't bookmark searches, they're broken in history, and ~~if~~ when you restart a browser, your search tabs get completely lost.

It's been the worst search UI I've seen in the nearly 30 years I've used web searches.

Still use it, because of the alternatives.

[–] JustJack23@slrpnk.net 10 points 4 weeks ago (4 children)

Am I the only one noticably receiving more adds on duck duck go last few days/week?

I feel like the adds and the AI response thing make it much worse.

Have to scroll a whole screen untill I see a organic result.

[–] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 14 points 4 weeks ago

You see ads?

[–] madame_gaymes@programming.dev 11 points 4 weeks ago

Just FYI, duckduckgo has an agreement with Microsoft regarding ads.

https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/company/ads-by-microsoft-on-duckduckgo-private-search/

[–] LadyMeow@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 4 weeks ago

Hey! I remember people saying the same thing about a different search engine!

[–] tekeous@usenet.lol 9 points 4 weeks ago

You can turn off ads in DDG settings. Better yet, use an adblocker like everyone should.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Well, I think it's time to move to SearXNG as my main choice of a search engine...

[–] robador51@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I just did, it's really good!

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

I also did it. I did need an extension for it for Firefox for some reason.

[–] threesigma@lemm.ee 8 points 4 weeks ago

“Educational purposes”.. because everyone knows it’s good educational practice to spout utter bullshit at people wanting information.

[–] doodledup@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Has something changed? This isn't news. Also why is this privacy related? No data is being exposed.

[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 weeks ago

Not phrasing your queries as a question makes it more likely you will find what you are looking for in a traditional search

[–] cronenthal@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

I'm open for alternative suggestions. The ease of wiping browser data while excluding preferred sites in duckduckgo is really nice.

[–] ComradePedro@lemmy.ml 9 points 4 weeks ago

You can achieve a similar thing in Firefox with auto delete browsing data in settings, then adding excluded websites.

[–] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 1 points 4 weeks ago

searxng, I use disroot.

[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago

Openai has open models now

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 4 weeks ago

Yeah DDG has been serving up AI slop lately, it's really annoying.

Ducky see, ducky do. It's kind of pathetic...

[–] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com -4 points 4 weeks ago

Duck search has never been good at actually finding results.