How do DuckDuckGo's retention practices compare to Google or Mozilla in 2024?

1. What the companies themselves say — DuckDuckGo’s stateless posture vs. Mozilla’s timebound retention

DuckDuckGo’s public privacy materials and independent reviews repeatedly state the company “refrains from storing browsing history,” does not create user sessions or persistent identifiers, and treats each request independently so it does not build long‑term profiles ^{[5] [1] [6]}. Mozilla’s Firefox privacy notice sets a different tone: it documents specific retention practice principles and states “in general, we do not retain personal data for more than 25 months,” while also noting actual periods vary by data type and legal obligations ^[2]. The result is two different models: DuckDuckGo’s design minimizes data collection at source; Mozilla collects some telemetry or account data but publishes a maximum‑style retention guideline ^{[5] [2]}.

2. How independent reporting describes DuckDuckGo’s approach

Tech press and security reviews repeatedly frame DuckDuckGo as a privacy‑first search engine that “doesn’t track users” and blocks trackers, which reduces the opportunity for long retention or cross‑site profiling ^{[4] [7]}. Wired’s reporting on DuckDuckGo’s anti‑data‑broker tools describes privacy safeguards in product design — e.g., encrypted local storage for data broker removal tools and opt‑out automation — reinforcing the company’s claim to limit persistent server‑side retention of identifying data ^[8]. Reviews also caution that privacy‑first design can trade off some personalized convenience in search relevance ^{[4] [7]}.

3. Mozilla’s controversies and nuance around retention

Mozilla publicly champions privacy and provides tools like Global Privacy Control in Firefox, but reporting shows friction: in 2024 NOYB filed a complaint alleging Firefox tracked user behaviour without consent, and independent accounts flagged the use of third‑party telemetry and privacy‑adjacent services such as Monitor Plus that process user information for data broker removals ^{[9] [10] [11]}. Mozilla’s 25‑month general retention statement is explicit, but the company also notes exceptions for specific purposes and legal obligations, signaling that some categories of data can be kept longer or shorter depending on context ^{[2] [12]}.

4. What the sources say about Google (and what they don’t say)

The provided sources characterize Google as the data‑rich baseline—collecting signals across many services to personalize results and advertising—but they do not include definitive, sourced retention windows for Google in 2024 within this dataset. Multiple articles contrast DuckDuckGo’s “no persistent identifier” claim against Google’s profile building for targeted ads, but precise Google retention durations are not covered in the available results ^{[3] [4] [13]}. Therefore, comparisons that require explicit Google retention lengths cannot be fully substantiated from these sources.

5. Practical differences for users in 2024

If your priority is avoiding long‑term searches being tied to a profile, DuckDuckGo’s stateless model and tracker‑blocking features lower the chance of server‑side retention and cross‑site profiling ^{[1] [6]}. Mozilla offers a more mixed proposition: protections and features (e.g., GPC support) plus explicit retention guidance (25 months), but also telemetry and product features that can involve sharing with vendors or require some user data for services like Monitor Plus ^{[2] [10] [14]}. Google’s ecosystem approach maximizes cross‑service signals for personalization but exact retention specifics are not detailed in these sources ^{[3] [4]}.

6. Limitations, disagreements and hidden agendas to watch

Many secondary articles and vendor blogs praise DuckDuckGo’s privacy posture but derive conclusions from company claims or product behavior tests rather than independent audits; some reviewers note trade‑offs in search relevance ^{[7] [4]}. Mozilla’s public policy work and blogposts emphasize opposition to broad mandatory retention, yet regulatory complaints and telemetry disclosures show tensions between product telemetry needs and privacy expectations — these are real conflicts between advocacy messaging and operational realities ^{[15] [9] [12]}. Available sources do not mention precise Google retention policies for 2024, so any firm numerical comparison to Google’s retention practices is not supported here (not found in current reporting).

7. Bottom line for readers choosing a tool

For minimal retained traces tied to search activity, DuckDuckGo’s design and stated policies minimize server‑side retention and profiling ^{[5] [1]}. Choose Firefox if you want a browser with explicit retention limits, privacy controls like GPC, and opt‑in remediation services — but be aware Mozilla collects and retains certain data categories up to the published limits and has faced scrutiny over some telemetry practices ^{[2] [14] [9]}. Claims about Google’s exact retention timelines are not documented in the provided sources, so readers should consult Google’s own privacy documents or regulatory filings for firm numbers (not found in current reporting).