DuckDuckGo announced that its private browsing app for the Mac is entering into public beta, and it comes with plenty of privacy protections.
DuckDuckGo for Mac
The browser has built-in privacy protections that the company says go much further than a standard incognito mode. They include a private YouTube player, adblocking, and a password manager.
Users can import bookmarks and passwords from other browsers and password managers. The browser is available for download at the DuckDuckGo site.
DuckDuckGo Mac browser features
- Duck Player: A private YouTube player that protects users from targeted ads, cookies, and recommended videos. It can be always-on so that YouTube links from anywhere open in Duck Player, or users can opt-in on individual videos.
- Password management: An integration with open source app Bitwarden offers another choice on top of the company's built-in password manager. The app is also compatible with 1Password's new universal autofill.
- Handling cookies: The browser automatically chooses the most private option on many more sites.
- Blocking advertising: Not only does DuckDuckGo for Mac block ads, it cleans up the whitespace they leave behind for a cleaner look as users browse the web.
The private browser also uses Smarter Encryption technology that safeguards browsing and automatically upgrades certain unencrypted websites.
DuckDuckGo continuously maintains a list of sites that support encryption. When a user tries to go to an unencrypted website that the company knows does support encryption, the browser automatically upgrades the connection to use the encrypted version.
DuckDuckGo for Mac integrates with the password manager from Bitwarden
The app also lets users activate DuckDuckGo Email Protection on the desktop. It protects an email inbox with email tracker blocking and private "@duck.com" addresses.
Similar to Apple's privacy service called Hide My Email, DuckDuckGo's version will let people create unlimited unique email addresses on the fly, without needing to switch email providers or apps.
What's next for DuckDuckGo
Users will soon be able to sync DuckDuckGo bookmarks and passwords across devices. The company plans to add more built-in features that offer native alternatives to popular browser extensions.
Before DuckDuckGo for Mac exits the public beta, the company will make it open source, exposing the source code so anyone can check to see if there are flaws. It's also a way to ensure the legitimacy of DuckDuckGo's privacy claims.