When it comes to quick internet search, Google is likely the outlet many people use, but according to the U.S. Department of Justice in a recently filed lawsuit, the company is a search engine monopoly. Now, smaller, lesser-known search engines are vying for a bigger piece of the space.
DuckDuckGo is one of those services that say Google's practices not only thwart competition in internet search but also utilizes the data it collects from people in less than transparent ways.
"With regards to privacy, though, people don't realize that Google is really an advertising company at its core," said Gabriel Weinberg, founder and CEO of DuckDuckGo.
According to Weinberg, ads created by Google are tailored to each user specifically, essentially creating "behavioral data profiles," that then follow a user across internet platforms.
"That can really cause issues like polarization and, kind of, discrimination in advertising," he explained.
When it comes to the DOJ deeming Google a monopoly, Weinberg agreed, saying, in part, "People were never really given a choice for Google. It just shows up there on your phone." Now, he's calling for the playing field to be leveled and for people to have the option to choose.
"If you try to make DuckDuckGo the default on Android, it takes over 15 steps to do so, and it's not an easy process," he noted.
Perhaps the biggest selling point of a search engine like DuckDuckGo is the protection of user data. But for those who are comfortable with the features of a search engine like Google, Weinberg said that people have to give his platform a chance.
"I'd say that most people really haven't tried alternatives in a decade or more and there are tens of millions of people using DuckDuckGo who are finding no sacrifice," he said.
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
