DuckDuckGo launches VPN service in new Privacy Pro subscription

DuckDuckGo has long maintained a focus on privacy on the web since the launch of its search engine and browser. Now, DuckDuckGo is expanding its free services with a paid tier that provides access to a VPN and some tools for recovering personal information on the web.

For those who are heavily concerned about privacy, DuckDuckGo is a solid web browser. It doesn’t offer some of the bells and whistles that other browsers might, but it doubles down on protection features that go a long way in keeping the web a habitable place.

One of the best features DuckDuckGo’s Android browser offers is app tracking protection, which blocks third-party trackers in apps on your phone. It’s something that goes unnoticed in the background processes of your Android phone but can be a huge help to have on hand.

DuckDuckGo’s new subscription service is called Privacy Pro. The service bundles three additional features that understandably don’t come free. Those three services are a VPN, personal information removal, and identity theft restoration.

DuckDuckGo’s VPN is probably the most appealing for many right out of the gate. A VPN from a company that stakes its reputation on privacy would reasonably be expected to be good. On paper, it looks to be a competent offering. It uses the DuckDuckGo browser to initiate the VPN, and it uses a simple connection process to the closest server. The VPN does allow you to choose your connection point in the US, Europe, and Canada if you want to.

Personal information retrieval from DuckDuckGo is also going to be a tempting offering for some. The service allows you to remove your personal information from people search sites. Those sites generally require a request to be made for your information to be removed. However, DuckDuckGo will automatically scan those people’s search sites and request removal for you once it knows your information is stored in that data broker’s library.

DuckDuckGo’s last paid feature is more of a long play. Identity theft protection is one of those features you hope you never need to use, but would be happy if you had it on hand. The protection goes as far as repairing credit after theft, replacing documents, and covering some out-of-pocket costs.

DuckDuckGo’s Privacy Pro plan costs $9.99/month, which is generally the cost of a simple VPN from other providers, and it launches today.