Does DuckDuckGo have an agreement with Microsoft
Executive summary
Yes—DuckDuckGo has a commercial syndication and advertising relationship with Microsoft that has been explicitly acknowledged by both companies and reported by multiple outlets; that agreement historically included a limited carve‑out that let certain Microsoft scripts load in DuckDuckGo’s browser, and DuckDuckGo later said it worked with Microsoft to close or narrow that exception [1] [2] [3].
1. The plain fact: a syndication/ads agreement exists
DuckDuckGo uses Microsoft’s services for parts of its search results and partners with Microsoft Advertising to serve ads alongside DuckDuckGo search results, a relationship the company documents on its help pages and that reporters describe as a search syndication/advertising partnership [4] [2].
2. What the agreement meant in practice: ad placements and a technical carve‑out
Reporting from security sites and industry outlets found that the commercial contract included stipulations limiting DuckDuckGo’s ability, at the time, to block certain Microsoft-owned advertising and tracking scripts in its browser and extensions—effectively a technical carve‑out tied to the syndicated search relationship rather than a claim that DuckDuckGo sold users’ search histories [1] [5] [6].
3. How the issue came to light and why the reaction was sharp
Security researchers publicly flagged that DuckDuckGo’s mobile browser and extensions allowed some Microsoft domains (LinkedIn/Bing advertising endpoints) to receive data flows that the browser otherwise blocked for other third‑party trackers, and that disclosure triggered widespread criticism because it appeared to contradict DuckDuckGo’s privacy messaging [1] [7] [6].
4. DuckDuckGo’s response and subsequent changes to protections
DuckDuckGo’s CEO acknowledged the limitation, explained it was tied to the Microsoft search syndication agreement, and the company later announced it had amended terms with Microsoft to expand its ability to block Microsoft tracking scripts in its apps and extensions—an update publicized in August 2022 describing expanded tracker‑blocking for Microsoft scripts while noting some conversion‑tracking mechanisms might still behave differently [8] [3] [2].
5. Two ways to interpret the deal—and the competing agendas at play
Supporters argue the deal is a practical commercial arrangement to deliver relevant ads without DuckDuckGo building cross‑site profiles, with DuckDuckGo saying Microsoft does not get search queries tied to individuals and that ad clicks aren’t used to build DuckDuckGo‑linked profiles [4] [2]. Critics counter that any carve‑out for Microsoft undermines the company’s privacy positioning and can enable Microsoft to get behavioral signals on pages reached via the browser, which risks concentrating surveillance power through commercial partnerships—an interpretation advanced by security commentators and privacy watchdogs [6] [9].
6. Bottom line: what can be stated with confidence and what remains contextual
It is established and well‑reported that DuckDuckGo has an advertising and search syndication relationship with Microsoft and that, historically, that contract included limits on DuckDuckGo’s ability to block some Microsoft scripts in its browser—DuckDuckGo confirmed this and later said it negotiated changes to reduce that exception [1] [3] [2]. Reporting shows the nuance matters: the partnership is about ads and search syndication rather than an explicit, broad tracking pact to build DuckDuckGo‑owned profiles, but the earlier technical carve‑out created legitimate concerns about how privacy promises translate into product behavior until DuckDuckGo adjusted its protections [4] [5] [3]. Exact technical outcomes for every advertiser conversion flow and the current status of all Microsoft tracking mechanisms in every DuckDuckGo product may vary and are subject to ongoing engineering and contractual details that require direct platform audits to verify beyond the published statements [3] [2].