DuckDuckGo working on desktop browser with ‘robust privacy protection’, says it will be faster than Chrome

DuckDuckGo is working on a desktop browser that would bring the same focus on avoiding user tracking to the entire web experience. In a blog post, DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg offered a glimpse of the upcoming browser and said users could expect it to perform in the same manner as its mobile browsing app.

Weinberg said the desktop browser would offer “robust privacy protection” as a default setting. The desktop browser, like its mobile equivalent, will come with the ‘Fire’ button to instantly erase your browsing history, tabs, and stored data in one click.

“Like we’ve done on mobile, DuckDuckGo for desktop will redefine user expectations of everyday online privacy,” Weinberg wrote in the blog.

“No complicated settings, no misleading warnings, no “levels” of privacy protection – just robust privacy protection that works by default, across search, browsing, email, and more.”

The desktop browser is being built around “OS-provided rendering engines” — like on mobiles — that will create a neater interface and remove all the clutter that mainstream browsers come with, Weinberg said.

“With our clean and simple interface combined with the beloved Fire Button from our mobile app, DuckDuckGo for desktop will be ready to become your new everyday browsing app,” the DuckDuckGo CEO wrote.

Early tests indicate that the DuckDuckGo desktop browser was “significantly faster” than Google Chrome, he added.

The browser is currently undergoing closed beta testing on macOS. However, a tweet from Weinberg hints that DuckDuckGo is getting the browser ready for Windows PCs as well. The company offered no word on when the desktop browser would become available to the public, however.

DuckDuckGo introduced a built-in tool for its mobile browsing app last month that can prevent apps from tracking Android users. In July, it rolled out an email protection service that will strip away any trackers attached to emails.