To sign up, download DuckDuckGo from the Google Play Store, and open the app. Right now the tool is in beta, but you can join the private waitlist (you won’t have to enter any personal information to do so). The company also discovered that 87 percent of these apps send user data to Google, while 68 percent send data to Facebook. While conducting its own test, DuckDuckGo found that more than 96 percent of some of the most popular free Android apps have third-party trackers that most users are unaware of. “However, App Tracking Protection is different from VPNs because it never routes app data through an external server.” MORE THAN 96 PERCENT OF THE MOST POPULAR FREE ANDROID APPS HAVE THIRD-PARTY TRACKERS “This is because App Tracking Protection uses a local ‘VPN connection’ which means that it works its magic right on your smartphone,” DuckDuckGo explains in its post.

The company says that although its App Tracking Protection tool isn’t a virtual private network (VPN), your device will behave as if it is one. From the DuckDuckGo app, you should also be able to see a real-time view of trackers that the tool has blocked, along with where your data would’ve been going. The tool recognizes when an app is about to send data to a third-party tracker, and will then prevent the app from taking your information.ĭuckDuckGo says that it’s “continually working to identify and protect against new trackers,” which means that your data should be kept away from any new trackers that crop up. Once App Tracking Protection is enabled, it will run in the background as you use your phone.

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