DuckDuckGo has touted itself as the search engine that puts privacy first, promising to never to track its users. In an effort to improve on this promise, the search engine has now partnered with Apple Maps for its location-based searches or address lookups.
Previously, the search engine used data from an open-source mapping service called OpenStreetMap alongside information from MapBox. This combination, however, offered limited information and couldn’t keep up with the likes of Google.
Now DuckDuckGo has integrated Apple’s MapKit JS framework to power map and address searches on both mobile and desktop.
DuckDuckGo's policies align well with Apple’s stance on privacy and should give the service a fighting chance against the competition from Google.
When looking up a particular address, businesses, or tourist attraction in an area, DuckDuckGo will now show a module with a small map box at the top of its search page. Clicking on the map will expand it, offering satellite views and a sidebar where necessary.
DuckDuckGo promises that identifiable information like IP addresses will not be sent to Apple and all search information is discarded once closed by the user.
This integration also makes DuckDuckGo the biggest user of Apple Maps, coming only months after the Cupertino firm opened the application up to third parties.
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