Did DuckDuckGo start or stop collecting search query logs in a specific year?
Executive summary
DuckDuckGo’s public position and the how-to reporting in available guides consistently state that the company does not keep a server-side log of individual search queries or build persistent, personalized search histories [1] [2] [3]. None of the provided reporting documents a specific year in which DuckDuckGo “started” or “stopped” collecting search logs; therefore there is no verifiable source here that supports a claim of a change in collection policy tied to a particular year [3] [1].
1. What the sources say about DuckDuckGo’s logging practices
Multiple consumer and tech guides repeatedly describe DuckDuckGo as a privacy-focused search engine that “does not store your search history,” “does not keep logs of any search queries,” and “does not maintain a persistent record of your queries on its servers,” language echoed across several pieces of reporting used here [1] [2] [3] [4].
2. Where the confusion typically comes from—local browser behavior versus server logs
Explanations about “history” often conflate two different things: local, client-side autocomplete or the browser’s own history and any server-side logging done by the search provider; the materials make clear that DuckDuckGo’s blank home page and the absence of profile-driven autocomplete reflect a lack of server-side personalization, while local drop-down suggestions or browser history remain possible because those are stored on the device, not DuckDuckGo’s servers [5] [6] [7].
3. What the reporting does not show: no documented year of policy change
None of the sources in this packet documents a year when DuckDuckGo began or ceased collecting search query logs; the pieces instead describe current behavior and design philosophy without a historical timeline or evidence of a discrete “start/stop” event tied to a specific year [3] [1] [2]. That absence matters: without archival statements, policy change notices, or independent audits cited here, it is not possible from these sources to assert that a year-specific change occurred.
4. Alternative perspectives and implicit agendas in the coverage
The corpus is dominated by how‑to guides and privacy-promoting explanations that reinforce DuckDuckGo’s marketing position; those formats can echo company claims without independent verification, creating an implicit agenda toward reassuring users about privacy [1] [4]. Conversely, a more skeptical framing—absent from the provided reporting—would seek third‑party audits, historical policy notices, or regulatory filings to confirm whether any logging occurred historically or changed at a point in time, but those evidentiary types are not present in these sources [3].
5. Practical reality for users today and limits of reporting
For practical purposes, the guides advise that users should assume DuckDuckGo does not retain server-side search histories while recognizing that other actors—local browsers, bookmarks, or an ISP—can hold traces of activity [7] [6]. Reporting limitations in this set prevent concluding anything beyond that present claim: it is supported consistently in the cited guides, but no source here documents a year when DuckDuckGo changed course on logging [7] [1] [2].