DuckDuckGo which has been a secure alternative to users not wanting to use Google for search is now adding a map feature using Apple MapKit JS. While this is a huge feature add for DuckDuckGo this is a huge win for Apple who is known for keeping users privacy safe at all costs.
DuckDuckGo announced in a blog post
“We’re excited to announce that map and address-related searches on DuckDuckGo for mobile and desktop are now powered by Apple’s MapKit JS framework, giving you a valuable combination of mapping and privacy. As one of the first global companies using Apple MapKit JS, we can now offer users improved address searches, additional visual features, enhanced satellite imagery, and continually updated maps already in use on billions of Apple devices worldwide.“
It is important to note while I am sure DuckDuckGo and Apple are both trying to put out the best product possible Apple MapKit JS is still in Beta. Apple Maps can be used in two ways on DuckDuckGo either through embedded private search results or from the “Maps” tab on the search result page.
DuckDuckGo allows you to search Apple Maps on five different set of criteria
- By Address
- By Geographical Location
- Local Business Listings
- By Type of Business
- By Nearby Places
It is very nice to see DuckDuckGo putting security first going on to say in their post
“At DuckDuckGo, we believe getting the privacy you deserve online should be as simple as closing the blinds. Naturally, our strict privacy policy of not collecting or sharing any personal information extends to this integration. We do not send any personally identifiable information such as IP address to Apple or other third parties. For local searches, where your approximate location information is sent by your browser to us, we discard it immediately after use. You are still anonymous when you perform map and address-related searches on DuckDuckGo. You can read more about our anonymous localized results here.”
This is a great new feature for DuckDuckGo and great for Apple since their security mindset is paying off now in bigger ways.