DuckDuckGo drops a major update: sync your valuable information across
devices without selling your soul

Date:
Thu, 15 Feb 2024 16:50:50 +0000

Description:
DuckDuckGo's browser upgrades with Sync & Backup feature, enabling users to sync passwords, bookmarks, and email protection across devices without compromising security.

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DuckDuckGo is best known for making a search engine that prioritizes user privacy, ditching fine-tuning and personalization of search results. You may not be aware, but it also released a browser back in 2021 and now the DuckDuckGo browser is getting a major upgrade.

DuckDuckGo browser users will now be able to sync information like bookmarks and saved passwords privately across devices with its new Sync & Backup feature . This is a feature youll already find in many popular browsers, and allows you to set up and get going more quickly and conveniently on a new device.

Alongside syncing saved passwords and bookmarks across your phone, PC, and tablet, you can also sync your DuckDuckGos Email Protection settings. DuckDuckGos Email Protection , a free email forwarding service, is another
one of its privacy and security features that helps users stay protected by removing hidden email trackers and makes it easier to whip up private email addresses instantly. You dont have to make new email accounts, however, as
you can use this feature with your existing email address.

In addition to password and bookmark syncing, you can also back up this type of information that you consider valuable, in case the device you choose to save them for is lost or damaged.

According to DuckDuckGo, you dont even need to sign in - or even make an account - to use Sync & Backup in its browser, as DuckDuckGo never accesses
or sees your passwords or bookmarks. Users were previously already able to import their passwords and bookmarks from other browsers (a common feature found in most modern browsers), and now its extending that flexibility to
sync across devices with an emphasis on privacy. Again, password and bookmark syncing across platforms is also found in many modern browsers, but its good to see a company that tries to reassure customers that their data and information are safe. (Image credit: Shutterstock) DuckDuckGo isn't mincing words

The DuckDuckGo browser pretty boldly declares itself as a privacy-respecting alternative to Chrome and other browsers. You can get it across many
platforms - Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android (sorry, Linux fans). It also declares that you can carry passwords and bookmarks across platforms without compromising your privacy, which sort of sounds like DuckDuckGo is strongly implying that the sync features of other browsers compromise your personal information.

These are pretty definitive and confident claims, but DuckDuckGo might have a pretty good case for it. As it outlines in its announcement post , its right about Chrome constantly trying to make sure you sign into your Google account to be able to use functions like syncing and backup features. This allows Google to collect your browsing activity data that it can package, use, and sell for targeted advertising.

In contrast, DuckDuckGos privacy policy is to not track users activity at
all, and you can access features like importing and syncing data without an account. Its built-in password manager stores and encrypts password information locally on your device, rather than sending it to a remote (and potentially not secure) server. Even if you choose to sync data across devices, the encryption key to decrypt your data is also stored locally on your device and only on your device. This is to help ensure your device is
the only device even capable of unlocking your password. By comparison,
Google employs a range of encryption strategies including cloud encryption
key storage, customer-managed encryption keys, and specialized storage mechanisms. (Image credit: DuckDuckGo) How to make use of the new DuckDuckGo feature

To be able to try this functionality of the DuckDuckGo browser, youll need to download it on two or more qualifying devices. If youre already on the DuckDuckGo browser train and already have it, then you should make sure its
up to date and update it if its not to get these new features. Once updated, you can do sync your details by following these steps:

1. Go to the DuckDuckGo browsers Settings .

2. Go to Sync & Backup .

3. Click on Sync With Another Device .

4. Follow the instructions for the process detailed under the Begin Syncing heading.

If youre doing this from a tablet or a mobile device, you can link devices by scanning a QR code .

If youre following these instructions for a desktop device, youll need to manually enter an alphanumeric code.

If youre working on one primary device, you can select go to the
Single-Device Setup section in Settings and click Sync and Back Up This
Device . After doing this, youll be presented with a list of all the devices you have synced together, be able to edit device nicknames, and further
tailor your settings.

Once youve gone through the Sync & Backup process, youll be provided with a Recovery PDF by DuckDuckGo, which youll want to save in a secure place on
your device or preferably also elsewhere (like on your email account, a private cloud storage account of your choice, or on external storage). This PDF will include important information that will allow you to access and recover your personal information, including your Recovery Code which
contains your own unique encryption key. This is especially important information, as your recovery Code is the only way to get your backed-up information from a new device.

Overall this is a very solid move from DuckDuckGo, and I wont lie - Im intrigued and will try it on my personal device. It makes an effort to remove ads that track users, including ads often blocked by ad blockers, mitigating the need for a third-party ad blocker app or extension. It also tries to reduce the number of cookie notification pop-ups that users are confronted with and many more privacy-related measures that it claims arent offered by its competitors. DuckDuckGo seems like its really putting its weight behind making privacy one of its biggest selling points for users while making it as easy as possible to set up and configure. Of course, a lot of these features do already exist in other popular browsers - but DuckDuckGo actually looks like its intent on putting control back in users hands. You might also like DuckDuckGo Private Browser review DuckDuckGo takes the fight to ProtonMail with new email privacy tool DuckDuckGo in hot water over hidden tracking agreement with Microsoft



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/browsers/duckduckgo-drops-a-major-update-s ync-your-valuable-information-across-devices-without-selling-your-soul


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