DuckDuckGo's Browser Won't Block Microsoft's Trackers

pcmag.com:

DuckDuckGo's browser for iOS, Android, and macOS reportedly allows Microsoft trackers to operate despite claiming that it "automatically blocks hidden third-party trackers" for its users.

This exception to DuckDuckGo's tracker protections was revealed by security researcher Zach Edwards on May 23, BleepingComputer reports(Opens in a new window). Edwards tweeted evidence of DuckDuckGo's browser allowing trackers used by LinkedIn and Bing to load on the website for Workplace:

DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg said(Opens in a new window) on May 23 that "our Microsoft search syndication agreement prevents us from doing more to Microsoft-owned properties" and that his company has "been continually pushing and expect to be doing more soon."

But it's still unclear how exactly DuckDuckGo handles Microsoft's trackers. Weinberg says:

Weinberg offered additional clarification in a post(Opens in a new window) on the Hacker News forum:

"This is just about non-DuckDuckGo and non-Microsoft sites in our browsers, where our search syndication agreement currently prevents us from stopping Microsoft-owned scripts from loading, though we can still apply our browser's protections post-load (like 3rd party cookie blocking and others mentioned above, and do). We've also been tirelessly working behind the scenes to change this limited restriction. I also understand this is confusing because it is a search syndication contract that is preventing us from doing a non-search thing. That's because our product is a bundle of multiple privacy protections, and this is a distribution requirement imposed on us as part of the search syndication agreement. Our syndication agreement also has broad confidentially provisions and the requirement documents