DuckDuckGo has introduced Privacy Pro, a premium subscription service that combines a VPN service, a personal information removal tool, and an identity theft restoration service into a single consolidated package that costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year.
DuckDuckGo, known for its uncompromising stance on protecting user data and safeguarding privacy, previously marketed free privacy-focused services, including its search engine and browser extensions that block trackers and encrypt web searches. Hence, the launch of Privacy Pro is a notable new direction, being the firm’s first paid offering.
Privacy Pro VPN
DuckDuckGo’s take on a VPN product is a no-logs VPN service that’s based on the WireGuard protocol and supports up to five simultaneous connections (devices), including smartphones, tablets, and computers.
The VPN nests within the DuckDuckGo browser through an integration that simplifies installation while also allowing users to activate the VPN connection with a single click and easily monitor its status while browsing.
In connection interruption cases, the service attempts to reconnect automatically while activating data leak prevention mechanisms to maintain privacy during those issues. The VPN routes DNS queries through the VPN connection to DuckDuckGo’s own DNS resolvers, further enhancing privacy by hiding browsing history from ISPs.
Payment is handled by third-party providers, and new users are assigned a random ID that cannot be linked to their identity, so DuckDuckGo essentially holds no data about the user that it can share with the authorities in case of data requests.
Of course, being a new product, the server network isn’t extensive, so performance may not be optimal in all cases, and block circumvention may not work as intended for specific services. Also, the lack of independent audits that validate the security and privacy claims is something to consider. The announcement also does not mention any power-user features like dedicated IP addresses or split tunneling, so those are assumed to be missing from the product.
The most significant hurdle would be the integration within DuckDuckGo, which is touted as an advantage but could work negatively for users who rely on extensions or features exclusive to other browsers.
Identity protections
To enrich the Privacy Pro product, DuckDuckGo has partnered with Iris to provide support in cases of identity theft and used technology from Removaly, acquired in 2022, to delete user data from platforms that funnel it to marketers and advertisers.
DuckDuckGo’s Personal Information Removal feature tackles privacy issues by identifying and removing users’ personal details from data broker sites. It operates directly from the user’s device for enhanced privacy, targets only verified data brokers that hold the user’s information and provides ongoing protection by regularly re-scanning these sites.
At $9.99 a month, the service is already cheaper than many data removal tools on the market today. And when you combine this with a VPN service, the value becomes even more appealing.
The Identity Theft Restoration service, offered in partnership with Iris® Powered by Generali, provides comprehensive assistance for identity theft victims. It includes 24/7 support, help with restoring credit and accounts, document replacement, and financial reimbursement for expenses related to identity theft recovery.
In summary, the three services bundled under DuckDuckGo’s Privacy Pro subscription provide a comprehensive suite of privacy and security protections, but whether or not the VPN product matches the promises and aligns with DuckDuckGo’s privacy standards, we will have to wait and find out in our forthcoming review.
Google Adds Privacy-Minded Crowdsourced Tracking on ‘Find My Device’
quite a long time I used DuckDuckGo and expressvpn, I had problems with expressvpn going down I eventually changed to the new DuckDuckGo privacy Pro with VPN. detailed information on exactly what it will protect you from concerning your online browsing such as adult websites using the https protocol on the clarinet are extremely vague. and there appears to be no way to actually talk to an agent, and that to me is concerning. and every single thing you look at they direct you to make go your default search engine in Chrome and to me that seems extremely counterintuitive considering the idea is to get as far away from Google as possible. and one breath they speak of.. go as a browser and say that you can make that your default browser which I have done but then as I said it says to make the search engine the default search engine in Chrome. I have shirts and searched trying to understand why I need to make it my default search engine in Chrome when it seems that if all I do is just open the app I’m using the browser and the search engine at the same time, at first I did make it the default in Chrome although I did not use Chrome at all, I went back into Chrome removed the Duck Duck Go placed some off the wall option as a search engine and then disabled Chrome altogether. it seems extremely suspect to me because people who go to use something like Duck Duck Go or doing it because they’re trying to get away from Google and by extension Chrome, and I was told that if you have that as your default engine in Chrome and you open your Duck Duck Go browser and for some reason go to a Google app of some sort connected to Facebook or anything else it automatically would give access to the Duck Duck Go browser if you did not close the browser first. I’m asking does this seem right to you? I do not understand the reason for them wanting people to make it their default search engine in Chrome and there is nothing that can be found that explains why they want you to do that when it seems to not be necessary at all if you are not going to be using Google or anything connected to it. is it possible that there is something to this? and is this new privacy Pro and VPN make it reasonably safe to visit certain websites on the clear web? I understand this is very long I do not know exactly how to explain it. I have asked this through a link they use that deals with possible privacy concerns and they will never reply.
I too cannot find any answer on that question of why they want you to use Chrome in order to set your default search engine for go it makes absolutely no sense. as you said there is no one to contact no one to speak to it makes it highly suspect and I personally am getting out of that go.
Read the fine print of ToS ❗ (If you don’t see RED flags all over such articles)
What’s the difference of using such “Identity protections”, “Personal Information Removal — request”, or paying any “Indian tech support or ransomware gang”?
100% you WILL make a payment.
100% you WILL share your personal information, yet again.
What do you actually get?
100% NO GUARANTEE ❗❗
A promise, a request of “removal”, a protection from a ____ (fill in the blank), [Nigerian Prince, Magic Fairy, etc.]
Thank you, I wanted to know that precisely
I used to like and used DDG but after they partnered with Microsoft, completely lost trust with them.
Who knows what sort of things they have partner with again with this ID protection.
I seem to remember them being in bed with Google at one point and time .
Maybe you’re thinking Microsoft?
DuckDuckGo Browser Allows Microsoft to Track Users Thanks to Confidential Agreement
Sven Sir please reply I beg you. Why are you no more a part of Restore Privacy Team? Please come back. We cannot live without you. What happened?
Hi Mr. Hen, I’m still here as always, now just using my real name, nothing with the site changed, explained here under my profile.
I’m glad I saw this comment so I did a little bit of research. Glad to know that Sven is still part of the RestorePrivacy team.
“Alex Lekander is the Editor-in-Chief and owner of RestorePrivacy.com. With a passion for digital privacy, Alex created this website in 2017 to raise awareness about online privacy and security and help real people. His background and expertise covers privacy research, technical writing, software testing, and website administration. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from Johns Hopkins University.
Being a true privacy advocate, Alex originally used the pen name “Sven Taylor” to protect his true identity with the website. However, with more visibility and a growing audience, Alex decided to publicly reveal his identity as the Editor-in-Chief and owner of RestorePrivacy.com in 2024.”
source: https://restoreprivacy.com/mission/
Hey please keep the door open Alex.
“RestorePrivacy was founded in 2017 by Alex Lekander and offers the latest in privacy and security news, guides, and tutorials to help you stay safe and secure online.”
That’s great man, I’ve been stopping in over the years but your comments run lean to personal replies. Nice when you do though!
A cool add for the site would be your own space of ‘Ask Alex’ your questions or leave constructive and positive comments in how the site has helped.
If I may, a question that you might help me and others understand.
What is the internet in 2024 as the core component of delivery.
What I mean, is it hardwired as the main delivery means and then beamed to satellites around the planet?
How much traffic is over wire/fiber compared to radio waves?
How that affect privacy?
Anyway a place to your own that we may enteract with you Alex and you choose who to reply to. Be real nice!
Hi bumpintheroad, yes you seem familiar 🙂
I agree with you and will try to interact more in the comments. It’s always a challenge with time constraints, but I’ll do better than in the past.
As to your question, see this article I found. On that topic, some concerns I see are internet service providers collecting your browsing data and selling that to third parties, and also throttling connections based on what you are doing online.
Seems like it is available only in the U S at this time