Google adds private search engine DuckDuckGo as a default option in Chrome

Google has introduced private search engine DuckDuckGo in its recent version of the Chrome web browser. While previously it required user to install a browser extension, Google has now included the private search engine in its ‘updated list’ of default search engines for the latest Chrome 73 version.[caption id="attachment_6256871" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

DuckDuckGo.[/caption]According to TechCrunch, who first spotted the search engine, Google is said to have introduced DuckDuckGo as a preferred search option in more than 60 markets globally. The company didn’t share much about the changes to Chromium’s default search engine. However, a Google software engineer Orin Jawoski in GitHub mentioned that the default search engine has been refreshed from recently collected data.“The list of engine references for each country is being completely replaced based on new usage statistics, and unreferenced engine registrations are removed,” he stated.The private search engine DuckDuckGo was founded in 2008 and saw 30 million searches in October last year.“We’re glad that Google has recognized the importance of offering consumers a private search option,” a DuckDuckGo spokesperson told TechCrunch when asked about the changes.While the privacy-friendly search option in the Chrome browser will be useful for those users who are concerned about ‘privacy violation,’ DuckDuckGo’s inclusion comes at a time when Google is facing scrutiny for abusing its monopoly in search and faces antitrust fines from the European Union for exercising its power in the mobile phone market.