this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2025
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Privacy
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You guys are still using google??
But seriously, Holy shit I just ~~signed~~ GOT INTO/OPENED UP/JUMPED on to DDG on PC after forever and had to opt out of a bunch of AI shit. We are so fucked.
You guys are still signing into search engines?
You guys are still guys?
🫵
Luckily both Librewolf and Iron fox have integrated "no ai" DDG as default search
SearXNG is nice
-noaiFortunately DDG are opt out, and short of cookie sessions expiring it seems to stick.
Unlike a certain set of other “search” engines that are slowly changing into AI chat bot outputs with zero opt-out abilities besides using some hacky tricks to avoid it.
That is bullshit. DDG will give you an ai answer, infrequently, and ask if you want more, less, or none. And that is just a result. To continue the AI option of asking follow up questions you have to opt in.
We are fucked for lots of reasons, this isn't one of them.
Edit: really people disagree, when you can Prove this to be true? WTF is Lemmy now just reddit? Not even going to comment why you disagree?
The pervasiveness of AI (insinuating its lack of concern for higher privacy users) has seeped completely through to products we are choosing for their privacy focus is indicative of being fucked. We are also fucked for many reasons.
I would like to iterate a comment above that says they actively reduce using all types of services for this reason. The greatness of the internet is being squashed by the desire to protect both our personal information and resist corporate enshitification.
I'm not saying I'm gonna stop using DDG or that it is somehow the problem or is even bad. I'm just saying this OP from Google is seeping everywhere.
Your original post makes it sound like duckduckgo is making you do this. It really isn't. You have to truly opt in to use it. They do ask you, how often do you want to see it, and you can set a preference.
I think they are in a tough spot because users are going to say if they don't have it, they are behind and a bad search engine for it. Yet if they offer it, people are going to complain about that.
I think they are trying hard for a middle ground.