They constantly measure DomRect using javascript, which is a unique hardware-based metric that can be used to track individual users.

Imagine the cost of running duck.ai. What exactly is the revenue that it brings in?

Of course, if it were some honeypot, using DomRects to track users (and DomRect is not protected by Tor Browser or Mullvad Browser etc), well then it doesn't really matter if it's not bringing in much revenue since it's value is in being a honeypot.

Yes, DomRect can be used legitimately in coding without tracking users... but why does ddg need to use this when they know that it CAN be used to track users and users have no way to audit the servers?

It's really interesting they measure DomRect and not Canvas when privacy-aware users often block canvas fingerprinting but don't block DomRect.

It's sus

I use it reluctantly and only to un-fuck the fucked up search. if there were a good search engine I wouldn't use the thing.

It needs to PISS OFF.

It should be off by default. As it's set up right now, DDG settings don't keep on privacy respecting browsers due to cookies being cleared regularly. Since their AI is on by default, that means it regularly gets shoved in your face.

I don’t want AI anywhere near my daily drivers. If I want to use AI it needs to be siloed and unable to access any of my data unless I explicitly feed something into it.

I hate AI being shoved into everything. I've been using https://noai.duckduckgo.com/ and am very happy with it.

Don't want it, don't need it.

Everything you type in the chat box is sent to the LLM provider but they get Duck Duck Go's IP instead of yours.

So if you type personal things its mostly just like typing them directly to ChatGPT. However, with duck.ai your IP, Browser info, Location (if shared), etc is seen by Duck Duck Go instead of OpenAI.

I don't think DuckDuckGo is lying when they say that they don't use your chats to train models. However, that leaves plenty for OpenAI and Duck Duck Go to do with your chats, like building shadow profiles.

I suggest that if you want to be anonymous to Duck Duck Go, then use duck.ai via vpn or tor. Always assume the content of your chat session is being logged by the LLM provider.

From ArsTechnica:

According to DuckDuckGo, chats on the service are anonymized, with metadata and IP address removed to prevent tracing back to individuals. The company states that chats are not used for AI model training, citing its privacy policy and terms of use.

“We have agreements in place with all model providers to ensure that any saved chats are completely deleted by the providers within 30 days,” says DuckDuckGo, “and that none of the chats made on our platform can be used to train or improve the models.”

So there is some trust involved, but I'm inclined to believe DDG.

I don't trust DDG, really. I run LLAMA locally. It serves my purpose.

It's a frontend. Of course they don't, it's not their AI.

I've been using Duck.AI because you don't need to sign in or anything. Works well

There is no such thing as "AI".

But I appreciate the generated summaries of search results. Sometimes they miss the point of my search, but they're often quicker than searching through the webpage results.

I don't know why people get so mad about it.

GenAI is cancer.

It's fairly bare bones in all honesty. It does sum up initial searches fairly well but beyond that you're not going to get much, if anything, out of it. Asking it follow up questions regarding a search is more miss than hit.

It has provided me decent initial results when I'm searching for some random linux question/solution but clarifying or expanding on initial results is useless.

If you are talking about free ai, the cost is your data.

Just use 4get. It's a privacy focused proxy search engine that supports multiple backends. No telemetry, no tracking, no bloat.

Repository: https://git.lolcat.ca/lolcat/4get

No thx.

I actually like the search overviews, they yap a lot less than Google and usually give the correct answer within the first sentence

I've totally switched over to noai.

Interesting to see comments on this. I'm a bit suspicious, understanding the costs involved.

I like it. There are some questions I need a quick answer for. Code syntax for example. I don't need to read stack exchange. I just need the one quick thing.

i try not to use AI too often, but when i do have a question i like the interchangeability of the models, so when I feel that one model is too lobotomised to get my question i change it for another and compare it. i trust what ddg says about respecting privacy, i don’t trust the backend llm suppliers though, i don’t have any illusions about that.

i also think the premium through duck.ai option could be interesting if you are a professional user because it still offers the interchangeability option.

but still, it should not be integrated on the main search page, and search should be revamped. normally the first results i get are for some social media presence of a restaurant somewhere halfway around the world instead of the wikipedia article on the main subject that made the name famous in the first place.

also the domain owners of duck.au, duck.si and others are getting a lot of traffic