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Google’s Danny Sullivan Responds Directly to DuckDuckGo’s Anti-Privacy Claims

In a rare move from Google, Search Liaison Danny Sullivan has responded directly to negative claims made by DuckDuckGo.

Sullivan responded to a tweet from DuckDuckGo in which a video was shared that contains “five good reasons” why users should stop using Google and Facebook.

Those five reasons are as follows:

  1. Hyper-targeted ads
  2. Propaganda and discrimination
  3. The filter bubble
  4. User data is saved and shared with third-parties
  5. User data is sold to advertisers

Sullivan once again took DuckDuckGo to task for its claims that Google creates a “filter bubble,” just as he did when this claim was made last year.

In his response, Sullivan states:

“RE: “filter bubble” claim, we don’t at Google “manipulate your search results” based on what we “think you’ll click on.” Nor are search results “different from someone doing the exact same search at the same time,” as the video claims.“

Sullivan points to a tweet he published last year showing that DuckDuckGo can also return different results to different users who search for the same thing at the same time.

A Twitter user pointed out that Sullivan only addressed one of five claims made by DuckDuckGo. In fairness, Sullivan only spoke to the claim that’s directly related to the area he works in.

If users want more control over how much data is collected by Google, Sullivan points to a new tool that automatically deletes location history and activity data.

DuckDuckGo has yet to respond to Sullivan’s tweets.

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SEJ STAFF Matt G. Southern Senior News Writer at Search Engine Journal

Matt G. Southern, Senior News Writer, has been with Search Engine Journal since 2013. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, ...

Google’s Danny Sullivan Responds Directly to DuckDuckGo’s Anti-Privacy Claims

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