Concerned About Data Privacy with AI Tools? DuckDuckGo May Have the Solution.
It's well-known that AI chatbots like ChatGPT save data on user inputs to refine and enhance their services. Companies like OpenAI and Anthropic use this data for product improvement. However, ChatGPT also collects and may disclose other personal information, including geolocation data, device details, and log data, which raises privacy concerns.
Thankfully, DuckDuckGo, a staunch advocate for internet privacy, has introduced a feature called DuckDuckGo AI Chat. This tool aims to anonymize your interactions with popular chatbots, including ChatGPT and Claude, with more integrations expected in the future.
It's well-known that AI chatbots like ChatGPT save data on user inputs to refine and enhance their services. Companies like OpenAI and Anthropic use this data for product improvement. However, ChatGPT also collects and may disclose other personal information, including geolocation data, device details, and log data, which raises privacy concerns.
Thankfully, DuckDuckGo, a staunch advocate for internet privacy, has introduced a feature called DuckDuckGo AI Chat. This tool aims to anonymize your interactions with popular chatbots, including ChatGPT and Claude, with more integrations expected in the future.
Enjoy Free and Anonymous AI Access
DuckDuckGo AI Chat allows you to submit all your AI queries through its platform, ensuring they remain private, anonymized, and not used for AI model training.
In a blog post introducing the feature, DuckDuckGo acknowledges the growing use of chatbots but highlights research indicating widespread privacy concerns among users.
“We believe people should be able to use the internet and other digital tools without sacrificing their privacy,” the post states. “We develop products that add a layer of privacy to everyday online activities… starting with search, then browsing, email, and now generative AI via AI Chat.”
“In the industry-wide rush to integrate generative AI, there’s significant pressure to add AI features simply for the sake of it. We’re taking a different approach,” says DuckDuckGo.
Using DuckDuckGo AI Chat: A Guide
The feature, which is optional and can be turned off, is accessible via duck.ai, duckduckgo.com/chat, or through DuckDuckGo's ‘bang’ shortcuts (!ai and !chat).
To use it, follow these steps:
1. Choose a chat model: Options include OpenAI’s ChatGPT 3.5 Turbo, Anthropic’s Claude 3 Haiku, Meta Llama 3, and Mistral’s Mixtral 8x7B.
2. Agree to DuckDuckGo’s privacy policy and terms of use.
3. Enter your query or use the provided prompts.
It's as simple as that. If you’ve used AI chatbots before, the process will feel familiar, and you can still refine your queries as needed.
Currently, DuckDuckGo AI Chat is free, although there is a daily usage limit. The company aims to keep a free tier available but is considering a paid plan for higher limits and access to more advanced chat models.
How Does It Keep My Chats Anonymous?
DuckDuckGo Chat AI keeps your chats anonymous by handling the query with the third-party chatbot on your behalf, effectively removing your IP address from the equation.
“This way it looks like the requests are coming from us and not you,” the blog post explains.
DuckDuckGo has agreements with all model providers to ensure that any saved chats are deleted within 30 days and that none of the chats made on its platform are used to train or improve the models.
DuckDuckGo also states that it will not save or store any chats. Some chats may be stored temporarily to respond properly to the query and ensure all systems are working, but after that, there are no ways to tie chats back to the user.
