Is DuckDuckGo turning on its users, or did they misunderstand the search engine to begin with? Tech companies are continuing to take action as Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on. Search engine DuckDuckGo is the latest platform to take measures in the information war that’s being battled online. According to DuckDuckGo’s founder and CEO, Gabriel Weinberg, the privacy-focused search engine has “down-ranked” websites in its search results that are “associated with Russian disinformation.” “Like so many others I am sickened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the gigantic humanitarian crisis it continues to create. #StandWithUkraine️,” Weinberg wrote in a tweet thread on his personal Twitter account explaining DuckDuckGo’s actions. To those unfamiliar with DuckDuckGo, the move may not feel too out of the ordinary. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have updated their policies to deal with disinformation about Russia’s war. Search engines like Google and even Microsoft’s Bing have taken actions against disinformation, too.
via mashable: DuckDuckGo ‘down-ranks’ Russian disinformation. The search engine’s users are not happy.