Digital literacy includes developing knowledge of how internet companies operate and the implications for privacy. DuckDuckGo claims to provide internet search without storing or sharing any personal information.
As Botturi and Beretta (2022) explain:
Online searches in most cases happen via search engines. A critical understanding of how such access points to the web work, and about the key differences between search engines managed by commercial companies (such as Google Search) and those managed by organizations with different business models (like DuckDuckGo or Ecosia), is central for the development of critical IL [informational literacy] skills (Botturi & Beretta, 2022).
Here is a video explaining how DuckDuckGo works:
For classroom use, you may explore the reasons why it was created; discuss the concept of online privacy; use and compare different search engines.
REFERENCE
BOTTURI, L.; BERETTA, C. Screencasting Information Literacy. Insights in pre-service teachers’ conception of online searching. Journal of Media Literacy Education, v. 14, n.3, p. 94-107, dez. 2022.
