DuckDuckGo will automatically block Google login pop-ups

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Screenshot: DuckDuckGo

Have you noticed that websites are offering you a friendly new way to sign in with Google? Try Investing.com. When you hit the site, Google displays a popup recommending you to sign in in the upper right. If you’re on the phone, the prompt will take up about half of your screen. And if you’re using Chrome, you can sign in with a single click, which is the fastest way to remove the popup. Don’t have an Investing.com account? Google will automatically create one for you.

It’s convenient if you want Google to collect data about your behavior, if you just want an easy way to sign in, or both. But for anyone who doesn’t, this new wave of pop-ups may be an unwelcome intrusion that seems hard to avoid. There is an easy solution. Download any DuckDuckGo app or extension, and you can kiss those popups goodbye.

DuckDuckGo, the Internet’s favorite private search engine, is rolling out a new feature across its service on Wednesday called Google Sign-in Protection, and it’s on by default, saving your eyes and time from annoying Google. You can still sign in with Google whenever you want, and you don’t have to deal with Google prompts.

“Popups are invasive, annoying, and undermine user privacy,” said Peter Dolangsky, product manager at DuckDuckGo. “Google uses a dark pattern by pushing you to sign in when you wouldn’t have otherwise. When you do that, Google tracks what you do on those sites and associates it with your identity.”

Google Sign In is nothing new, but pop-ups are a subtle yet widespread change on the web. Find them on Booking.com, Pinterest, Reddit, Trulio, Zillo, and more. “We believe that Google is promoting pop-ups on these sites as a win-win situation,” Dolanjski said. “If they can get more users to sign in, it opens up more data collection for both Google and publishers, and allows Google to better target users with ads.” This means more money for everyone involved, except for you.

Google did not respond to a request for comment.

Is what Google is doing the worst business practice in the world? of course not. But there are situations where user choice is undermined. If you use a browser or extension to protect your privacy (DuckDuckGo, for example), that protection will go out the window. When you are logged in, Google has everything it needs to spy on you.

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