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If you are looking to escape the stranglehold that Google and Apple have over you and your device, this article will introduce you to a new privacy-focused online maps alternative. Google and Apple are no longer the only free services available that you can use to navigate your way around the world or your local area.
How to turn on tab scrolling in Google Chrome. Change tabs using your mouse wheel in Chrome.
Google Maps is by far the most used mapping and navigation service on the planet, helping billions of users find their way each and every day. In second place is Apple Maps, with only a fraction of the user base as Google, however still holding a solid portion of the worlds navigational software users.
Although these two tech heavyweights provide sensational navigation services for free, they do so by syphoning user data at an extreme rate to analyse and improve their targeted advertising services. In turn, making them trillions of dollars a year. Thankfully, after years and years without any decent alternatives, a trusted service many privacy-focused users know as DUCKDUCKGO has released their own version of a mapping service.
Related: How to automatically remove noise and grain from photos using free online tools.
What is a good Google Maps alternative that doesn’t invade your privacy too much?
If you aren’t all too familiar with DuckDuckGo, they are one of the largest privacy-focused search engines on the market and allow you to reduce the amount of tracking you are susceptible to when browsing the Internet. Using Firefox as a browser alongside DuckDuckGo is probably the best option for privacy, however, even then you won’t be entirely tracker free. It’s a step in the right direction though.
At this point in time, DuckDuckGo Maps doesn’t have a dedicated app or website, instead, it requires you to search for the location you wish to navigate to using the DuckDuckGo search engine. Once you have searched a location, simply change to the Maps tab at the top of the search page.
This will take you to a new page where you’ll need to select Directions then enter your current location manually or allow your browser to use your current location. This part is entirely up to you, so don’t feel that one option may be better than the other. After entering all the information you require, the rest of the process follows an almost identical procedure to both Google Maps and Apple Maps.
Just remember that while using this process your Internet browser and your Internet connection will be the biggest privacy factors. If you want to secure things a little better, make sure you enable a VPN before you start your search. For the best results, I suggest using a VPN and TOR browser.
The beauty of using DuckDuckGo as a Google Maps alternative is that you can do so from your mobile device as well without having to download a specific app. Simply follow the exact same process as listed above and you’re good to go.
On a side note...
While you are here, make sure you take the time to check out the following article which will show you how to quickly and easily stop/block specific websites from appearing in your search results. Specifically Google Search results.
How to block certain websites from appearing in your search results.
