DuckDuckGo announces a new privacy-focused Mac web browser

Enlarge / DuckDuckGo's browser for macOS. (credit: DuckDuckGo)

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search engine with the weird name, already offers web browsers for iOS and Android and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. But on Tuesday, the company announced that it is getting into desktop browsers, too. DuckDuckGo for Mac is available starting today as an invite-only beta that "is designed to be used as an everyday browser that truly protects your privacy."

Among other features, DuckDuckGo says that its browser will automatically manage cookie consent pop-ups "on many sites," that it will use encrypted HTTPS connections whenever they're available, and that the browser will block trackers and allow you to clear stored website data on a site-by-site basis. The browser also includes its own password manager that can import data "from other browsers and browser extensions like 1Password or LastPass." Private syncing of passwords and bookmarks between browsers is a planned feature but isn't available in this initial version.

Most alternative browsers are based on Google's Chromium browser and Blink browsing engine so they can benefit from Chrome's majority position in the browser market. Most webpages are tested with Chrome in mind, and Chrome has a large and well-supported library of browser extensions that third-party browsers can usually tap into without making any changes. The DuckDuckGo browser instead uses Apple's WebKit rendering engine via the WKWebView API.

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