Are there collaboration agreements between Microsoft and DuckDuckGo on privacy or search standards?
Executive summary
DuckDuckGo has had a commercial relationship with Microsoft that affected how its browser handled Microsoft-owned tracking scripts: DuckDuckGo acknowledged a “search syndication” or ad partnership that, until mid‑2022, constrained its ability to block some Microsoft scripts on third‑party sites (examples and company admissions in May–August 2022) [1] [2] [3]. DuckDuckGo and independent reporting say the partnership relates to ads/search syndication (not general user‑profiling on DuckDuckGo search), and DuckDuckGo later said it amended terms to expand blocking of Microsoft scripts [4] [5] [3].
1. What the available reporting documents
Multiple technology outlets and security researchers reported that DuckDuckGo’s browser allowed certain Microsoft tracking scripts (Bing, LinkedIn domains) to load on third‑party sites, and DuckDuckGo’s CEO Gabe Weinberg confirmed this was tied to a “search syndication” agreement with Microsoft that limited blocking in the browser (BleepingComputer, Wired, TechCrunch, The Verge) [1] [2] [6] [7]. Coverage stressed the distinction between the DuckDuckGo search engine (which DuckDuckGo says keeps searches unlinked) and its browser behavior on external sites [5] [8].
2. The nature of the agreement as described in reporting
Reporting characterizes the arrangement as a search syndication or advertising partnership: Microsoft supplies search/ad content and, historically, contract terms or distribution/policy requirements prevented DuckDuckGo from blocking some Microsoft scripts in its browser on third‑party sites (TechCrunch, IT Pro, The Register) [6] [9] [10]. DuckDuckGo help pages and spokespeople repeatedly framed Microsoft’s role as an ads/search partner, noting ad clicks pass through Microsoft Advertising and that DuckDuckGo does not tie search queries to user profiles [4] [8].
3. What DuckDuckGo and other outlets say about user tracking
DuckDuckGo and several outlets emphasize two separate claims: (a) the advertising/syndication deal is limited to ad placements in DuckDuckGo search and doesn’t permit Microsoft to build ad‑profiles from DuckDuckGo searches; and (b) the browser exception was about allowing Microsoft scripts to load on third‑party websites reached via the browser, not embedding Microsoft scripts in DuckDuckGo’s own search engine (Reuters, DuckDuckGo statements, CPO Magazine) [5] [11] [12]. Critics and researchers pointed out that allowing scripts to load can expose IPs or other signals to Microsoft‑owned services when users visit non‑DuckDuckGo sites [1] [13].
4. How the companies responded and any changes
After public backlash and researcher disclosures in May 2022, DuckDuckGo said it was working with Microsoft to change restrictions; in August 2022 DuckDuckGo announced it had amended terms and would expand blocking of Microsoft scripts in its browser and extensions (TechCrunch, The Verge, DuckDuckGo statements) [3] [7]. Microsoft said it worked with DuckDuckGo to arrive at a solution that balanced publisher/advertiser needs and privacy protections [3].
5. Disagreements, limits and fact checks in the record
Some outlets framed the arrangement as a “tracking deal” and said DuckDuckGo was “contractually obligated” to allow Microsoft trackers (BusinessToday, Search Engine Journal, The Next Web) [14] [15] [16]. Reuters’ fact check tempered stronger claims by noting DuckDuckGo’s ad partnership is limited to serving ads and that DuckDuckGo said Microsoft does not build profiles from DuckDuckGo ad clicks; Reuters also noted prior contract limits on blocking Microsoft scripts but reported DuckDuckGo and experts saying overall DuckDuckGo largely upheld privacy pledges [5]. Available reporting does not assert that Microsoft used the syndication deal to retroactively build profiles from DuckDuckGo search logs; DuckDuckGo denies saving or sharing search history [8] [5].
6. What this does — and doesn’t — prove about “collaboration on privacy or standards”
The reporting documents a commercial partnership (search syndication/ads) that created contractual constraints affecting browser tracker‑blocking behavior; it is not evidence in the provided sources of a formal joint privacy standard or a broad, explicit collaboration to weaken privacy across products. Sources describe negotiation over implementation details (blocking of scripts) and later term amendments to expand blocking—indicating a commercial, operational agreement rather than a public joint privacy standard or white‑paper collaboration [6] [3]. If you are asking whether there is a formal public standard‑setting collaboration between Microsoft and DuckDuckGo on privacy policy or search standards, available sources do not mention a formal standards‑setting partnership beyond the commercial ad/search syndication arrangement (not found in current reporting).
7. Bottom line for readers
There is documented evidence of a commercial search/ads agreement that, until DuckDuckGo changed terms, constrained blocking of Microsoft scripts in DuckDuckGo’s browser [1] [6]. DuckDuckGo and Reuters emphasize the partnership’s scope was ad/syndication related and say it did not permit profile building from DuckDuckGo searches; by August 2022 DuckDuckGo reported the carve‑out had been removed and more Microsoft scripts would be blocked [5] [3]. Readers should note competing framings: some outlets describe a “tracking deal” and contractual obligation [14] [15], while company statements and fact checks stress limitations and corrective steps [5] [3].