DuckDuckGo calls out Google search for 'spying' on users after privacy labels go live
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Privacy-focused web browser DuckDuckGo has taken on tech giant Google in a tweet alleging that Google had not been honest with the amount of data, the company had been collecting from users.
"After months of stalling, Google finally revealed how much personal data they collect in Chrome and the Google app. No wonder they wanted to hide it," the company tweeted, along with an image displaying Google's new 'privacy labels' which are now mandatory for iPhone apps.
"Spying on users has nothing to do with building a great web browser or search engine," DuckDuckGo pointed out in its tweet. The attached image shows that DuckDuckGo does not collect private information whereas Google apps tracked things such as location and browsing history.
The 'privacy label' feature was rolled out by Apple and requires apps to label exactly what data they may be accessing from customers. Google had come under fire for allegedly delaying iOS updates for Apple users, fuelling speculation that they may not be willing to comply with the privacy label requirement. However, Google has denied all such allegations and has currently started rolling out updates for 12 major apps including Gmail, YouTube, Google Classroom and Google Play Movies.