DuckDuckGo calls Google search for ‘spying’ on users after privacy labels are offered live

Over the past few weeks, Google has added app privacy labels to its iOS apps in line with Apple’s App Store rules, but it took Google several months to start sharing the information.

It has been speculated that the delay by Google means it has something to hide, on which DuckDuckGo is leaning, with a new tweet highlighting Google’s data collection and calling the company to “spy” users.

Google recently added App Privacy Labels to its Google Search app to write down the scope of information collected. For third-party advertising purposes, Google collects data including location, search history, and browser history. Google’s own marketing data contains all of the above information, along with contact information and device identifiers, and more data is collected for analysis, app functionality, and product customization.

DuckDuckGo claims that Google “wanted to hide” the information it collects, which is why Google took so long to expand support for App Privacy Labels. Most people are probably not surprised by the amount of data Google collects, but having it in one place in the ‌App Store‌ is a strong reminder.

Many of Google’s major applications only started getting privacy labels in late February, although Apple’s rule went into effect in December. Google has been delaying the labels for so long that the programs have been running for more than two months without being updated. It’s been another three months since the Google Maps app was updated, though most other apps have now received labels and updates about the app’s privacy.

DuckDuckGo is a privacy-oriented search and browser option available on iOS devices that can be set as the default option for search engines. As DuckDuckGo notes in his tweet, the DuckDuckGo app does not collect data linked to you.