DuckDuckGo giving Android users the app tracking protection Google won't

The privacy-focused DuckDuckGo browser app is launching a new feature on Android that will seek to forestall third-political party companies tracking users within Android apps that aren't their ain.

The feature, which is launching in private beta inside the DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser, is described by the company as "the easiest way to block trackers lurking in your apps."

The app tracking protection sounds similar to Apple'due south App Tracking Transparency opt-out characteristic, which launched last twelvemonth in iOS xiv.5, but DuckDuckGo says its wants to offer greater protection than Apple's tool. No such feature currently exists within Android.

While it exists within the browser app, it can still manage to police tracking action beyond other apps installed upon your phone. Users opting into the beta will regularly be informed of how many tracking requests have been wiped out.

"Over 96% of the popular free Android apps we tested (based on AndroidRank.org rankings) contained hidden third-political party trackers. Of those, 87% sent data to Google and 68% sent data to Facebook," the company said in a blog post explaining the reason for the feature.

In explaining how the characteristic works the company says information technology volition accept action to block requests when Android apps attempt to send data to the third-parties seeking it.

"You tin can bask your apps every bit y'all normally would and App Tracking Protection will run in the background and continue to block the detected trackers throughout your apps, fifty-fifty while you sleep. We are continually working to identify and protect against new trackers, so you can rest easy knowing you're getting the most upward-to-engagement protection," the company writes.

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DuckDuckGo says information technology uses a local VPN connectedness which keeps everything on your smartphone without routing the information through an external server. Y'all tin see how it works in the gif beneath.