DuckDuckGo's new iPhone feature is a privacy win - I recommend getting it now

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• DuckDuckGo for iOS has a new privacy feature.
• Copy Clean Link prevents tracking information from being copied.
• You can share links knowing they are clean.

A new feature from DuckDuckGo's iOS app automatically strips away unnecessary tracking identifiers and other parameters that could lead to fingerprinting and other unwanted issues, according to a report from Digital Trends, Tuesday.

For reference, what DuckDuckGo on iOS does is get rid of everything in a link that follows the question mark (including the question mark itself). 

Also: Why the most private way to browse the web isn't incognito mode (but this instead)

Here's an example:

http://www.example.com/article-title.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=US&utm_id=120236590587790649&utm_content=120241390090170649&utm_term=120236590587770649&fbclid=IwY2xjawTgRu8iuynvlaFlbQEwAGFkaWQBqy7oUwChGXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7XcXYzZH7_fo4K_GcRRZXNXpVzwNyHc8D1cy7BYLWWFncBrCifmQGMKmIj7g_aem_cId8VrEXu8Itv9sijbxg

When you copy a link, say from Facebook, you might think you're just copying www.example.com/article-title.html, but what you're really copying is everything you see above, and that includes the tracking identifiers. If you share that link with someone, you're sharing both the good bits and the bad bits. You don't want to share those tracking identifiers with friends or family.

Also: Every way your phone tracks your location - and how to stop it

That's where Copy Clean Links comes into play. When you copy a link in DuckDuckGo with Copy Clean Link, it copies only the link to the iPhone clipboard and leaves out all of the tracking and ID information. This way, when you share a link with someone, you can trust that they are only getting the link and that you are not sending identifiers to the recipient. This goes for copying links in a chat or an email.

The feature was listed in an app update on the App Store at the end of July. DuckDuckGo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The caveat

Although Clean Copy Link leaves out all of the irrelevant information in a link, it does not block cookies and other types of trackers that show up when a link is opened. In other words, all it does is copy a clean link. What happens when that link is opened is determined by the browser. If the recipient has their browser set up to deny cookies and trackers, chances are good they won't have to worry about it on their end as well; otherwise, all bets are off.

Even so, Clean Copy Link is an important step forward in the realm of privacy, and it will go a long way to make sharing safe, clean links considerably easier.

I hope DuckDuckGo brings this feature to Android, because I get tired of copying links and then manually stripping them of all the unwanted bits before I either open them or share them.

Also: 7+ phone privacy settings to check and turn off ASAP - to avoid exposing your personal data

If you're an iPhone user and you're looking for a better way to share links with friends and/or family, consider adopting DuckDuckGo, so you can rest assured that you're doing your part to keep the internet free from intrusive tracking practices.