How long does Google retain search history and location data compared to DuckDuckGo?

1. How the companies describe their retention approaches

Google’s model is explicitly data-driven: its products share information across services to personalize search results and ads; commentators say Google “retains data for extended periods, potentially indefinitely” under its retention policies ^{[1] [2]}. By contrast, DuckDuckGo’s stated operating principle is zero or minimal collection—multiple reviews and explainers say it “does not store personal data, search or browsing history, or IP addresses” and “doesn’t collect or store any personal data” ^{[3] [4] [5]}.

2. What “retention” means in practice for users

For Google, retention often means your searches, location signals and activity can be linked to your account and used to tailor future results and ads; industry accounts emphasize that Google integrates data across Gmail, Maps, YouTube and Android to build profiles and enhance personalization ^{[3] [6]}. For DuckDuckGo, retention means there is no profile-building tied to your identity—searches are not stored in ways that allow long-term personalization and advertising based on past behavior ^{[4] [7]}.

3. Timescales and “indefinite” language: reported claims and limits

Several sources summarize Google’s retention as long-term or potentially indefinite under its policies — phrased as “extended periods, potentially indefinitely” — but these pieces cite Google’s policy space rather than a precise public clock on every data type ^[1]. DuckDuckGo is described repeatedly as not storing search history at all, which implies effectively zero long-term retention of identifiable search queries ^{[3] [5]}.

4. How this affects ads, personalization and UX

Because Google links historical data and location to user profiles, it produces highly personalized search results and targeted ads; sources frame this as the tradeoff that funds Google’s “free” services ^{[3] [6]}. DuckDuckGo uses contextual ads tied to the current query instead of past behavior, meaning less targeted advertising and less personalized search experience ^{[8] [1]}.

5. Trust, transparency and legal pressure

Reporting highlights that Google’s data practices have faced scrutiny and lawsuits—criticisms include that private browsing modes do not fully prevent data collection—while DuckDuckGo markets itself on transparency and not sharing user data with third parties ^{[2] [9]}. Sources note that perception of Google as “data-hungry” persists even as the company attempts more transparency ^[6].

6. Limitations in available reporting and what’s not said

Available sources repeatedly assert DuckDuckGo “doesn’t collect” or “does not store” personal search or location data, but they are mostly summaries and product comparisons rather than primary policy documents; specific technical audits or Google policy excerpts with exact retention windows are not in the provided sources, so exact time-limits for particular Google data types are not found in current reporting ^{[3] [4] [1]}. Available sources do not mention precise retention durations for different Google data categories or independent verification of DuckDuckGo’s backend practices ^{[1] [7]}.

7. Practical takeaway for users choosing between the two

If you prioritize minimizing any linking of searches or location to your identity, DuckDuckGo is presented by multiple reviewers as the strict privacy choice that avoids storing identifiable history and uses contextual ads instead ^{[4] [5]}. If you value highly personalized search, integrated features across services, and location-aware results, Google’s approach—keeping data linked over long periods to build a profile—delivers that experience at the cost of broader data retention ^{[3] [6]}.

Sources cited: CentricDxb, VDigitalServices, FortisMedia, AllThingsSecured, UMATechnology, CyberArrow, AIContentFy, MetaCompliance, PCWorld, MEFMobile (see individual snippets above) ^{[10] [3] [7] [5] [1] [4] [9] [2] [11] [6]}.