Is duckduckgo.com safe?

Very Likely Safe

No major red flags found. This looks like a legitimate, established website.

Popular site · #425 worldwideChecked Nov 13, 2026

Trust score

Why: Main reasons: domain registered 19+ years ago; not flagged by Google Safe Browsing; popular website — ranked #425 worldwide. Minor issues: no contact page found; page has no <title>.

Identity & Age100/100

Impersonation Risk100/100

Red Flags100/100

Transparency82/100

Security100/100

Email100/100

Positive highlights

Domain registered 19+ years agoLong-established domains are far less likely to be disposable scams.
Not flagged by Google Safe BrowsingNo malware, phishing, or unwanted-software match in Google's live threat database.
HTTPS is enforcedAll redirects stayed on HTTPS. Traffic is encrypted end-to-end.
Popular website — ranked #425 worldwideListed in the Tranco top 1 million websites. Scam sites are almost never this popular.
Site responded with 200Final URL: https://duckduckgo.com/. Response time 124ms.
HTTPS works with a valid certificateA secure connection was made on port 443. Certificate log details were unavailable at scan time.
No impersonation patterns detectedDomain doesn't look like a typosquat, doesn't embed a well-known brand, and uses ASCII characters.
Not listed on URLhaus malware blocklist
Fast response (124ms)
Not present in PhishStats phishing feed

Negative highlights

No contact page foundReputable sites usually publish a contact page.
Page has no <title>Well-maintained sites always set a page title.
Large response served uncompressedEnable gzip or brotli at the edge to cut transfer size dramatically.

Note: Registered via NameCheap, Inc..

Note: 5 technologies detected. Next.js, React, Svelte, Google Analytics, Cloudflare

Key facts about duckduckgo.com

Website: duckduckgo.com
Popularity: #425 worldwide (Tranco top 1M)
Domain created: Nov 11, 2007 (19.0 years old)
Domain expires: Jun 23, 2027
Registrar: NameCheap, Inc.
Owner details: Public in WHOIS
IP address: 52.149.246.39
Hosting / CDN: Cloudflare
SSL certificate: HTTPS works (certificate details unavailable)
Email security: SPF ✓ · DMARC ✓ (reject)
Threat blocklists: Not listed (clean)
Technology: Next.js, React, Svelte, Google Analytics, Cloudflare

Summary

97/100 — trusted. Long-established domain (19.0 years old), clean threat reputation, no impersonation patterns.

No malware/phishing on feedsGood reputationHTTPS enabled

Full technical report

Domain Information

Registration timeline, age calculation, registrar details, and ICANN status.

Verified

Registrar Name: NameCheap, Inc.
Creation Date: November 11, 2007 (19.0 years ago)
Last Updated: May 24, 2026
Registry Expiry Date: June 23, 2027
WHOIS Privacy Protection: Publicly Visible
Domain Status Codes: client transfer prohibited

ICANN Status Badges

client transfer prohibited

Open in standalone WHOIS / RDAP Lookup tool →

Domain registered 19+ years ago

Long-established domains are far less likely to be disposable scams.

+15

Registered via NameCheap, Inc.

Owner information disclosed

The domain publishes registrant contact info — a small positive transparency signal.

HTTP Headers & Security

Full HTTP response headers, HSTS, Content Security Policy (CSP), and security baselines.

Good

Security Header Baseline

Strict-Transport-SecurityMissing

Content-Security-PolicyMissing

X-Frame-Options Present

X-Content-Type-Options Present

Referrer-PolicyMissing

Permissions-PolicyMissing

All Response Headers (21)

cache-control: no-cache
cf-cache-status: DYNAMIC
cf-ray: a59ee19f7fe93564-CMH
connection: close
content-security-policy: default-src 'none' ; connect-src  https://duck.ai https://*.duck.ai https://duckduckgo.com https://*.duckduckgo.com https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/ https://spreadprivacy.com ; manifest-src  https://duck.ai https://*.duck.ai https://duckduckgo.com https://*.duckduckgo.com https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/ https://spreadprivacy.com ; media-src  https://duck.ai https://*.duck.ai https://duckduckgo.com https://*.duckduckgo.com https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/ https://spreadprivacy.com ; script-src blob:  https://duck.ai https://*.duck.ai https://duckduckgo.com https://*.duckduckgo.com https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/ https://spreadprivacy.com 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval' ; font-src data:  https://duck.ai https://*.duck.ai https://duckduckgo.com https://*.duckduckgo.com https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/ https://spreadprivacy.com ; img-src blob: data:  https://duck.ai https://*.duck.ai https://duckduckgo.com https://*.duckduckgo.com https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/ https://spreadprivacy.com ; style-src  https://duck.ai https://*.duck.ai https://duckduckgo.com https://*.duckduckgo.com https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/ https://spreadprivacy.com 'unsafe-inline' ; object-src 'none' ; worker-src blob: ; child-src blob:  https://duck.ai https://*.duck.ai https://duckduckgo.com https://*.duckduckgo.com https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/ https://spreadprivacy.com ; frame-src blob:  https://duck.ai https://*.duck.ai https://duckduckgo.com https://*.duckduckgo.com https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/ https://spreadprivacy.com ; form-action  https://duck.ai https://*.duck.ai https://duckduckgo.com https://*.duckduckgo.com https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/ https://spreadprivacy.com ; frame-ancestors 'self' https://html.duckduckgo.com; base-uri 'self' ; block-all-mixed-content ;
content-type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
date: Fri, 13 Nov 2026 15:41:34 GMT
etag: W/"6af70f6f-d998"
expect-ct: max-age=0
expires: Fri, 13 Nov 2026 15:41:33 GMT
nel: {"report_to":"nel","max_age":86400,"failure_fraction":0.01}
permissions-policy: interest-cohort=()
referrer-policy: origin
report-to: {"group":"nel","max_age":86400,"endpoints":[{"url":"https://euw.nel.duckduckgo.com/v1/report?region=use","priority":1,"weight":50},{"url":"https://ase.nel.duckduckgo.com/v1/report?region=use","priority":1,"weight":50},{"url":"https://use.nel.duckduckgo.com/v1/report?region=use","priority":2}]}
server: cloudflare
strict-transport-security: max-age=31536000
transfer-encoding: chunked
vary: Accept-Encoding
x-content-type-options: nosniff
x-frame-options: SAMEORIGIN
x-xss-protection: 1;mode=block

Inspect all headers in HTTP Header Checker tool →

HSTS is set

Tells browsers to only use HTTPS for this domain.

Content Security Policy is set

Restricts which scripts and resources the page can load.

X-Frame-Options is set

Prevents clickjacking by disallowing framing.

X-Content-Type-Options is set

Blocks MIME-sniffing browser attacks.

Referrer Policy is set

Controls what referrer information is sent with requests.

Permissions Policy is set

Restricts access to powerful browser features (camera, mic, etc.).

DNS Records

Encrypted DoH resolution: A, AAAA, MX mail servers, authoritative NS, and TXT verification.

Resolved

IPv4 Addresses (A): 52.149.246.39
IPv6 Addresses (AAAA): None
Mail Servers (MX): duckduckgo-com.mail.protection.outlook.com (Priority: 0)
Authoritative Nameservers (NS): dns1.p05.nsone.net, dns2.p05.nsone.net, dns3.p05.nsone.net, dns4.p05.nsone.net, ns01.quack-dns.com, ns02.quack-dns.com, ns03.quack-dns.com, ns04.quack-dns.com
TXT Records Found: 13 TXT verification records

A Records (IPv4)

52.149.246.39

TXT Verification Records

MS=ms71454350

ZOOM_verify_QSjXtfOfRHiY0O9gD5E4Ug

v=spf1 include:mail.duckduckgo.com include:spf.mailer.duckduckgo.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:duck.com include:mail.zendesk.com -all

OSSRH-87525

bw=IOlfo6xQJX+xewM7+IiPqOSIPtLXKrWoS2RXCTPMmQZc

stripe-verification=e508f445dbb94b1ae51f7b48901897714b661f5298da43bb66b224973c8290d4

apple-domain-verification=XeKEoqnRNUfkUc5l

openai-domain-verification=dv-OKbsaUeVbNte6OPtWDpdt4Xr

cursor-domain-verification-nxwg1m=QRyFwelq3dM8RzBmvRla2boHy

anthropic-domain-verification-c7d48c=mGBhXlQHsvOc64IFwZsaKKVoQ

mistral-domain-verification=1b914b8749d84fc51987d1cd2b9f86b38617aa4d

slack-domain-verification=oDt8KTPHJdkpcJOZ6J8W8cyJLsEfrJULCQiQ1YbP

bitrise-verification=c11237685d624d93-X607LcWjwOdP

Run live DNS resolution in DNS Lookup tool →

1 address record(s) resolved

8 authoritative nameservers

WHOIS & Identity Lookup

Domain ownership status, registry lifecycle, nameservers, and privacy redaction.

Found

Registrable Domain: duckduckgo.com
Registrar Organization: NameCheap, Inc.
WHOIS Privacy Status: Public Registration Data
Registry Status Codes: client transfer prohibited
Delegated Authoritative Nameservers: dns1.p05.nsone.net, dns2.p05.nsone.net, dns3.p05.nsone.net, dns4.p05.nsone.net, ns01.quack-dns.com, ns02.quack-dns.com, ns03.quack-dns.com, ns04.quack-dns.com
Registration Lifecycle: Registered: 2007 → Expires: 2027

Nameservers (NS)

dns1.p05.nsone.netdns2.p05.nsone.netdns3.p05.nsone.netdns4.p05.nsone.netns01.quack-dns.comns02.quack-dns.comns03.quack-dns.comns04.quack-dns.com

Run dedicated WHOIS query for duckduckgo.com →

Domain registered 19+ years ago

Long-established domains are far less likely to be disposable scams.

+15

Registered via NameCheap, Inc.

Owner information disclosed

The domain publishes registrant contact info — a small positive transparency signal.

Email Security & Deliverability

SPF record validation, DMARC policy enforcement, DKIM selectors, and MX reputation.

Protected

SPF Record: v=spf1 include:mail.duckduckgo.com include:spf.mailer.duckduckgo.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:duck.com include:mail.zendesk.com -all
DMARC Policy Mode: Policy: REJECT
DMARC Raw Record: v=DMARC1; p=reject; pct=100; rua=mailto:n1um42s6@ag.dmarcian.com
DKIM Selectors Detected: selector1, s1

Email Protection Summary: This domain has strong email authentication configured to prevent spammers from sending emails impersonating this brand.

Test email deliverability in Email Reputation tool →

SPF record published

DMARC published (reject)

DKIM configured (selector1, s1)

Threat Intelligence & Blocklists

Multi-source malware feeds (URLhaus), phishing checks (PhishStats, Safe Browsing), and typosquats.

Clean

URLhaus Malware

Clean / Not Listed

PhishStats Feed

Clean / Not Listed

Google Safe Browsing

Clean / Verified

Root Domain Label: duckduckgo
Top-Level Domain (TLD): .com (Standard TLD)
Punycode Obfuscation: No (Standard ASCII)
Homoglyph / Lookalike Script: No mixed scripts
Brand Match Analysis: No recognized brand impersonation
Typosquatting Risk: Clean

No impersonation patterns detected

Domain doesn't look like a typosquat, doesn't embed a well-known brand, and uses ASCII characters.

Technology Stack & Metadata

Detected CMS, JavaScript frameworks, analytics tags, CDN providers, and page metadata.

Detected

Detected Technologies by Category

framework

Next.js

ReactSvelte

analytics

Google Analytics

cdn

Cloudflare

Page Metadata & Fingerprint

HTML Title: —
Meta Description: The Internet privacy company that empowers you to seamlessly take control of your personal information online, without any tradeoffs.
Document Language: en-US
Character Encoding: utf-8
Viewport Setting: width=device-width, initial-scale=1, user-scalable=1, viewport-fit=auto
Generator Software: —

Fingerprint tech stack in Technology Detector tool →

5 technologies detected

Next.js, React, Svelte, Google Analytics, Cloudflare

Built on a modern framework

Mobile viewport configured

Page has no <title>

Well-maintained sites always set a page title.

-3

Page Performance & Compression

Server response time, content payload size, Brotli/Gzip compression, and caching rules.

124ms

Items to Fix & Optimize

Text compression (Brotli/Gzip)

MUCH NEEDEDEnable on server or CDN

Modern image formats (WebP/AVIF/SVG)

OPTIONALConvert heavy images to WebP/AVIF

Protocol

HTTP/2

Binary framing, multiplexed

Compression

NONE

No compression detected

Optimization Signals (From Detectable Headers & Assets)

Image Formats

Legacy / Unchecked

Transfer

Uncompressed

Transport

HTTP/2

These are server-side signals. Actual Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) require real-user measurement via PageSpeed Insights.

Detected Asset & Image Formats

WebPAVIFSVGJPEGPNG

HTTP Response Time: 124 ms
Payload Body Size: 217.1 KB
Compression Status: Uncompressed
Cache Directives: no-cache

Large response served uncompressed

Enable gzip or brotli at the edge to cut transfer size dramatically.

-3

Response is cache-friendly

no-cache

AI Content Safety & Red Flags

High-pressure language, payment gateway safety, disposable domain analysis, and deceptive tactics.

Safe

AI Content Evaluation

97/100 — trusted. Long-established domain (19.0 years old), clean threat reputation, no impersonation patterns. Main reasons: domain registered 19+ years ago; not flagged by Google Safe Browsing; popular website — ranked #425 worldwide. Minor issues: no contact page found; page has no <title>.

Payment Red Flags: None (No suspicious payment requests)
High-Pressure Language: None (No artificial urgency detected)
Disposable Domain Risk: No (Established infrastructure)
Text Scanned Depth: 489 characters verified

No scam-correlated language found on the home page

No crypto-only / gift-card / wire-only payment demands, and no obvious urgency tactics.

Server & Hosting Infrastructure

Primary IP address, web server software, CDN edge network, and redirect hop chain.

cloudflare

Primary Web Server: cloudflare
CDN / Cloud Provider: Cloudflare
Primary IP Address: 52.149.246.39
HTTP Status Code: 200 OK
Final Landing Destination: https://duckduckgo.com/
Redirect Hop Count: 0 hops

Lookup IP & ASN in IP Lookup tool →Trace redirects in URL Expander tool →

Site responded with 200

Final URL: https://duckduckgo.com/. Response time 124ms.

HTTPS is enforced

All redirects stayed on HTTPS. Traffic is encrypted end-to-end.

+10

Fast response (124ms)

Served through Cloudflare

Sites behind a major CDN benefit from DDoS protection and edge caching.

SSL / TLS Certificate

Active Certificate Authority, Common Name, validity period, expiration countdown, and SANs.

Secure

Certificate Authority (Issuer): Not available (certificate logs did not respond)
Subject Common Name (CN): —
Validity Period: Not available
Subject Alternative Names (SANs): 1 domain protected
Certificates Logged (CT): Verified in live TLS

Subject Alternative Names (Sample)

duckduckgo.com

Check certificate history in SSL Checker tool →

HTTPS works with a valid certificate

A secure connection was made on port 443. Certificate log details were unavailable at scan time.

Content & Transparency Policies

Linked privacy policy, terms of service, about page, social channels, and published contacts.

Verified

Key Legal & Transparency Pages

privacy PageFound

terms PageFound

contact PageNot linked

about PageFound

refund PageNot linked

shipping PageNot linked

cookies PageNot linked

Published Phone Numbers: 10.54 12.57-.047.02, 6.75 2.763 6.75 5.875, 1.293-1.491, 28-.322.22-.813-.1-1.096, 8 3.19 8 7.125, 099-.396.661-.396.76 0

No contact page found

Reputable sites usually publish a contact page.

-4

About page linked from home page

No refund/return policy found

Reputable sites usually publish a refund/return policy.

-3

No cookie policy found

Reputable sites usually publish a cookie policy.

-2

Phone number published

Robots.txt & Sitemap Discoverability

Search engine crawler directives, indexability, and declared XML sitemaps.

Present

Robots.txt Directives: Present & Configured
Sitemaps Declared: https://duckduckgo.com/sitemap.xml, https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/sitemap.xml
Disallow Rules Count: 6 rules

View Raw robots.txt

User-agent: *
Disallow: /lite
Disallow: /html

# Block query strings on other pages; allow them at the root (covers SERP's
# ?q= and any other root-level params).
# Google/Bing apply the least-restrictive rule on a tie, so Allow wins for root.
Disallow: /*?
Allow: /?*

# Embeddable search box (search.html, incl. ?duck=yes) — keep crawlable so its
# noindex meta tag is fetched and honored, dropping it from search indexes
Allow: /search.html

# chrome new tab page
Disallow: /chrome_newtab

# Email Protection
Disallow: /email/
Allow: /email/$
Allow: /email/privacy-guarantees
Allow: /email/privacy-terms

User-agent: ia_archiver
Disallow: /

Sitemap: https://duckduckgo.com/sitemap.xml
Sitemap: https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/sitemap.xml

robots.txt published

sitemap.xml available

Export & Share Intelligence

Download the complete official PDF verification report (all sections and technical signals expanded), or export raw JSON telemetry.

Scan Engine Performance

Automated multi-signal inspection pipeline

v5.1.0 Engine

Signals Analyzed

This scan

Sources Checked

Live security feeds

Scan Duration

2.66s

Fast scan

Last Scan

11/13/2026

Live timestamp

Overall Risk

Low Risk

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