DuckDuckGo users have become weary ad the search engine has decided to downrank websites that allegedly spread disinformation in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Much of DuckDuckGo’s support comes from individuals looking to roam the internet freely without the bias and censorship of other engines like Google. The platform has been long championed for its untampered availability of information.
Wednesday CEO and Co-founder Gabriel Weinberg tweeted out “Like so many others I am sickened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the gigantic humanitarian crisis it continues to create. #StandWithUkraine? At DuckDuckGo, we’ve been rolling out search updates that down-rank sites associated with Russian disinformation.”
Users responded in immediate backlash, claiming that this was the end of Duck Duck Go. For many, the start of information suppression on Duck Duck Go would be the equivalent of “Toys R Us” announcing that they’d stay open, but no longer sell toys.
One user called Weinberg out, “the whole point of DuckDuckGo is for you NOT to do that,” he said.
Weinberg responded by saying “The whole point of DuckDuckGo is privacy. The whole point of the search engine is to show more relevant content over less relevant content, and that is what we continue to do.”
Other users began sharing alternative search engines and telling users under Weinberg’s tweet to make the switch, and ditch DuckDuckGo.