Opinion: DuckDuckGo just killed their business by manipulating search results

DuckDuckGo- an internet browser who built its brand on being different than Google by offering privacy and unfiltered search results- shot itself in the foot on Wednesday and potentially lost many loyal customers. They are now actively censoring political information.

CEO Gabriel Weinberg Tweeted that the search engine will start algorithmically downranking sites 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

At DuckDuckGo, we've been rolling out search updates that down-rank sites associated with Russian disinformation.

— Gabriel Weinberg (@yegg) March 10, 2022

Much of DuckDuckGo’s loyal following consists of individuals who value privacy and like to hear all sides of a story to form their own opinion. Yes, the killing of innocent people in Ukraine is evil, unequivocally, but that does not justify deciding which information should be available for people to consume. This same sentiment was felt by others.

So you’re actively shaping search results for political reasons? Isn’t that exactly your differentiation from Google? What else are you hiding from the results?

— Frank Jonen (@frankjonen) March 10, 2022

It’s possible that there are disinformation campaigns coming from Ukraine too. No one knows for certain except the people on the ground and perhaps the government intelligence agencies.

All people- particularly Americans given the emphasis on freedom in our founding documents- should have free access to information. Tech oligarchs have no right deciding what we should see.