It's also important to note that down-ranking is different from censorship. Current examples are Russian state-sponsored media sites like RT and Sputnik. Disinformation sites that deliberately put out false information to intentionally mislead people directly cut against that utility. The primary utility of a search engine is to provide access to accurate information. Weinberg did not detail in his tweet which Russian propaganda sites DuckDuckGo would target, or whether the search engine will target other types of disinformation, such as on climate change or COVID-19.ĭuckDuckGo provided Engadget with the following statement regarding this change: It’s unclear whether DuckDuckGo will make a wider effort to down-rank disinformation.īy subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy. Many fans of DuckDuckGo criticized the search engine for its decision on Russia, likening it to “censorship”. A number of studies highlighted in the New York Times found that Bing’s search algorithm, which powers DuckDuckGo, surfaces more sites that promote conspiracy theories than Google. DuckDuckGo, which regularly donates to digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and non-profit newsroom The Markup, has also been embraced by conspiracy theorists and far-right groups in recent years. The company primarily makes money from affiliate links and non-targeted, contextual ads. Known for being a “privacy-minded” search engine, DuckDuckGo does not track its users or sell data to third parties. Google has been down-ranking search results from Russian state news agencies since 2017. #StandWithUkraine️Īt DuckDuckGo, we've been rolling out search updates that down-rank sites associated with Russian disinformation.- Gabriel Weinberg March 10, 2022Ī number of platforms including the Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram have also demoted posts from Russian state media. Like so many others I am sickened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the gigantic humanitarian crisis it continues to create.
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