DuckDuckGo, an internet search engine competitor of Google, wrote on social media about the revelation “No wonder they wanted to hide it.”
Adding, “Spying on users has nothing to do with building a great web browser or search engine. We would know (our app is both in one).”
“DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser has been the second most downloaded mobile browser in the US (after Chrome) and, as you might expect, doesn’t collect any data that’s linked to you, making it simple to get the privacy you deserve online.”
DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser has been the second most downloaded mobile browser in the US (after Chrome) and, as you might expect, doesn't collect any data that's linked to you, making it simple to get the privacy you deserve online.https://t.co/QNfnevurRF
— DuckDuckGo (@DuckDuckGo) March 15, 2021
This disclosure of “Data Linked to You” is an initiative from the Apple App Store to help “users better understand an app’s privacy practices before they download the app on any Apple platform.”
Apple says, “On each app’s product page, users can learn about some of the data types the app may collect, and whether that data is linked to them or used to track them.”
Currently, Google is facing a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of collecting data from users in “incognito mode” while browsing the internet.
The suit was launched against the company in June 2020 and alleges that Google collects data from consumers even when consumers turn off data collection in Chrome.
Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc. petitioned the court to dismiss the case arguing that the plaintiffs consented to Google’s privacy policy.
However, on March 12, 2021, the Federal judge overseeing the case rejected the request to dismiss the case and will let the lawsuit continue.