DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg announced Wednesday that the privacy-focused search engine has been redesigned with new features.
The search engine, unlike Google, Yahoo and Bing, does not track a user's searches or mine data for advertising, and offers a very basic service, according to TIME.
However, the simplicity of DuckDuckGo's functions has resulted in the release of a new version. New features include suggestions of searches that come up as a person types, as well as images and video search, definitions, map locations, products and news.
The search engine's texts have also been updated with a more consistent appearance and a cleaner, flatter aesthetic. The home page was also changed and now includes new buttons at the bottom, PC World reported.
The redesign gives DuckDuckGo the opportunity to compete with Google and Bing, now having more advantages than just privacy. However, Google and Bing are still able to provide more specific search results than DuckDuckGo.
Bugs are expected to occur since the new design is a beta. Visual issues may also be present for those who use Explorer 8, PC World reported.
Weinberg said in a blog post that the new DuckDuckGo will be launched next month and encouraged people to give it a look, The Inquirer reported.
"This next version of Duckduckgo focuses on smarter answers and a more refined look," he wrote. "We've also added many new features you've been requesting like images, auto-suggest, places and more. Of course, your privacy is protected as well."
"In the next month, we hope to make this the default version of Duckduckgo, but that timing really depends on what we hear from you. There is a 'Give Feedback' button on the bottom right of search results pages that you can use to submit anonymous feedback (with the optional query). We also encourage you to post to this forum so that the community can discuss your ideas."