DuckDuckGo in hot water over hidden tracking agreement with Microsoft

By Sead Fadilpašić


Microsoft's trackers work, while others are being blocked

A padlock against a black computer screen
(Image credit: Pixabay)

DuckDuckGo may face a user backlash after security researchers discovered a hidden tracking agreement with Microsoft.

The privacy-focused company offers a search engine that claims not to track people’s searches, or behavior, and also doesn't build user profiles that can be used to display personalized advertising.

Search engine aside, DuckDuckGo also offers a mobile browser (opens in new tab) of the same name, but this has raised concerns, as although this promises to block hidden third-party trackers, some from a certain tech giant are allowed to continue operating.

Search syndication agreement

Namely, while Google’s and Facebook’s trackers are being blocked, those of Microsoft are allowed to continue running. Zach Edwards, the security researcher who first discovered the issue, later also found that trackers related to the bing.com and linkedin.com domains were also being allowed through the blocks. 

The news quickly drew in crowds of dissatisfied users, with DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg, soon chiming in to confirm the authenticity of the findings. 

Apparently, DuckDuckGo has a search syndication agreement with the software giant from Redmond, with Weinberg adding that the restrictions are only found in the browser, and are not related to the search engine. 

What remains unknown is why the company who is known for its transparency decided to keep this agreement a secret for as long as it could.

In a statement sent to BleepingComputer (opens in new tab), Weinberg said that DuckDuckGo offers “above-and-beyond protection” other browsers don’t even think of doing, but that the company “never promised” full anonymity (opens in new tab) when browsing. 

"We have always been extremely careful to never promise anonymity when browsing, because that frankly isn’t possible given how quickly trackers change how they work to evade protections and the tools we currently offer," he added.

"When most other browsers on the market talk about tracking protection, they are usually referring to 3rd-party cookie protection and fingerprinting protection, and our browsers for iOS, Android, and our new Mac beta, impose these restrictions on third-party tracking scripts, including those from Microsoft. What we're talking about here is an above-and-beyond protection that most browsers don't even attempt to do — that is, blocking third-party tracking scripts before they load on 3rd party websites."

"Because we're doing this where we can, users are still getting significantly more privacy protection with DuckDuckGo than they would using other browsers.” 

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.

Source:  https://www.techradar.com/news/duckduckgo-in-hot-water-over-hidden-tracking-agreement-with-microsoft











Maricopa County Elections Employees Who Deleted Files From Election Server

uafreport.com

Presentation Reveals Identities Of Maricopa County Elections Employees Who Deleted Files From Election Server | UAF Report

Doug Goldsmith View all posts
3-4 minutes

We The People AZ Alliance hosted an election security forum in Maricopa County on Saturday. During the event, the audience heard from state legislators and expert witnesses.

The event not only covered what happened in 2020 but also allowed people to express their concerns about voting in 2022.

The event was moderated by Lara Logan. The hearing also revealed a bombshell, as the person who deleted files from the Maricopa voting machines before the audit was named.

Logan dropped a bombshell of her own onstage as she revealed that the Biden administration was illegally handing out Social Security cards to illegal aliens at the border. Those SS cards can be used to secure employment and possibly driver’s licenses. Once they have them, registering to vote is entirely possible.

Election investigator Matt Vanbibber also shared his discoveries that he was able to glean from the videos that showed which employees deleted files from the 2020 election.

Federal law requires that those documents be saved for a period of 22 months. Vanbibber was able to determine who it was that deleted the files and those people should be arrested and tried immediately before the 2022 election to serve as a warning against any repeat of 2020.

The data was erased before the machines were turned over to Senate for the forensic audit.

On Saturday, it was revealed by Vanbibber that Maricopa County election Database Administrator Brian Ramirez was granted unauthorized entry to the server room on multiple occasions, and he deleted the files.

From The Gateway Pundit

Ramirez does not have the required credentials to access the server room. However, Vanbibber discovered that he falsely used the identities of individuals who were authorized access.

Vanbibber matched the server room entry logs to the video footage and found Brian Ramirez using others’ cards to access the room.

Vanbibber: So basically, you have Brian entering the server room, and remember I told you he does not have badge access. We The People actually collected server room logs from Maricopa. So I went through all this video footage and matched it with the logs. What you see is Brian has Passarelli’s card in the server room, and he also has Charles Cooley’s badge as well.

Logan: So, Brian is accessing the server room using the identities and cards of other people.

Maricopa County policies also require two people in the server room whenever someone is using the keyboard video monitor, however, Brian was alone on multiple occasions.

Vanbibber then played the video of Brian Ramirez accessing the server room after he was let in by Assistant Elections Director Kristi Passarelli, at the same time that the server logs were deleted.

https://uafreport.com/doug-g/presentation-reveals-identities-of-maricopa-county-elections-employees-who-deleted-files-from-election-server/?utm_source=UAF%20Clickers&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:32640603&utm_campaign=Well,%20Well...%20Look%20Who%20Just%20Got%20Outed%20For%20Deleting%202020%20Election%20Files


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Not a conspiracy theory but a true conspiracy:Bombshelll Presentation Reveals Identities Of Maricopa County Election Employees Who Deleted Files From Election Server BEFORE Maricopa County Audit

By Jordan Conradson


We The People AZ Alliance hosted an election security forum in Maricopa County on Saturday, featuring testimony from expert witnesses and state legislators.

This informational hearing, moderated by investigative journalist Lara Logan, presented evidence of fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election and addressed the concerns in the 2022 elections.

The hearing also featured a bombshell testimony revealing exactly who in Maricopa County deleted subpoenaed 2020 Election files before delivery to Arizona Senate auditors. The County was clearly hiding something.

As we reported earlier, Lara dropped a bomb on stage, revealing that the Biden regime is now giving social security numbers to illegals at the border.

Election investigator Matt Vanbibber also shared his discoveries from the Maricopa County Elections Department’s public footage. He finally revealed the identities of individuals who illegally deleted elections files from the Elections Management Server in April 2021.

This data was deleted before the voting machines were delivered to Senate auditors in compliance with a subpoena.

Federal law requires these files to be kept for 22 months.

Maricopa County officials previously admitted that these files were “deleted” in a Congressional hearing but later walked it back and said that the files were “archived.”

This was one of the many law violations discovered by the Arizona audit and other Maricopa County’s 2020 Election investigations.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported on footage of the individuals deleting the files, but their identities were redacted from the public to maintain confidentiality.

On Saturday, it was revealed by Vanbibber that Maricopa County election Database Administrator Brian Ramirez was granted unauthorized entry to the server room on multiple occasions, and he deleted the files.

Ramirez does not have the required credentials to access the server room. However, Vanbibber discovered that he falsely used the identities of individuals who were authorized access.

Vanbibber matched the server room entry logs to the video footage and found Brian Ramirez using others’ cards to access the room.

Vanbibber: So basically, you have Brian entering the server room, and remember I told you he does not have badge access. We The People actually collected server room logs from Maricopa. So I went through all this video footage and matched it with the logs. What you see is Brian has Passarelli’s card in the server room, and he also has Charles Cooley’s badge as well.

Logan: So, Brian is accessing the server room using the identities and cards of other people.

Maricopa County policies also require two people in the server room whenever someone is using the keyboard video monitor, however, Brian was alone on multiple occasions.

In the photo below, Ramirez is alone in the server room, violating County elections policy. The Gateway Pundit previously reported on this violation by an unidentified individual.

Vanbibber then played the video of Brian Ramirez accessing the server room after he was let in by Assistant Elections Director Kristi Passarelli, at the same time that the server logs were deleted.


Ramirez was also alone in the server room again.

Vanbibber: Here she is letting Brian into the server room at that time, and here he is getting on the console. And then you guys know the rest of the history.


Source:  https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/07/breaking-bombshell-presentation-reveals-identities-maricopa-county-elections-employees-deleted-files-election-server-maricopa-county-audit/