Props to DuckDuckGo for Doing It Right!
“DuckDuckGo is actually profitable. It is a myth you need to track people to make money in web search,” Weinberg said during the AMA session. “Most of the money is still made without tracking people by showing you ads based on your keyword, i.e. type in ‘car’ and get a car ad.”These ads are lucrative because people have buying intent. All that tracking is for the rest of the internet without this search intent, and that’s why you’re tracked across the internet with these same ads.”
Source: DuckDuckGo CEO: ‘It’s a myth you need to track people to make money in web search’