DuckDuckGo launches attack on Google for privacy labels, collection of user data

Google is the most used search engine and its app suite such as google chrome, Gmail and Google search has one of the most significant numbers of users subscribed. User privacy and security is a real concern these days and the technology giant has not pushed any update to its iPhone apps and thus the privacy was getting compromised. Google has finally addressed this issue and started pushing updates to the app suite on the Apple apps store. The privacy labels released with these apps reveal the data that these services collect from the users. 

Google's competitor DuckDuckGo attacked the tech giant by claiming that the Chrome Web browser and Google search are particularly collecting a tremendous amount of user data, as revealed by privacy labels and that it is no wonder that Google wants to hide it. And they can have a point. 

After months of stalling, Google finally revealed how much personal data they collect in Chrome and the Google app. No wonder they wanted to hide it.
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Spying on users has nothing to do with building a great web browser or search engine. We would know (our app is both in one). pic.twitter.com/lJBbLTjMuu

— DuckDuckGo (@DuckDuckGo) March 15, 2021

DuckDuckGo in a series of tweets attacked the tech giant and said "After months of blocking, Google has finally revealed the amount of personal data collected in Chrome and in the Google app. No wonder they wanted to hide it. Spying on users has nothing to do with building a good web browser or a good search engine. We would know (our app is both in one). This is based on the information that has been declared by Google, as part of the privacy labels which are a mandatory add-on for updated apps and their listing on the Apple App Store- users of the app. Android, you don't have to sit in the corner and smile, as this is not a unique problem an Apple's iPhone and you can very well expect similar data collection on your phones. The Google Chrome web browser application, for example, collects location data, browsing history, user and device IDs, crash data, content from users (which lists audio data and customer support), usage data from product interactions, payment information, and a loosely packaged "other types of data" that are listed for analytics as well as for application functionality. 

At the same time, the Google search app collects location information with a precise location, browsing history, search history, usage data listing advertising data, contacts, physical address and location, email address, photos, videos as well as other user content, product interactions and advertising data as well as payment information that you have stored under financial information in the autofill, not to name just a few. 

The privacy labels for the DuckDuckGo iPhone app simply say, "DuckDuckGo does not collect or share any personal information." DuckDuckGo is a web browser focused primarily on privacy. The search engine has always given importance to privacy and has stated that it does not collect any user data and no data is shared.