DuckDuckGo switched to Apple Maps

The confidential search engine DuckDuckGo announced a complete migration to the MapKit JS framework, becoming one of the first major Internet companies to do this. Technically, MapKit JS is still in beta.

Previously, DuckDuckGo took map information from several providers, including OpenStreetMap (main issue), Bing, Here and Google Maps (routes, etc.).

“Thanks to Apple MapKit JS, we can offer users an improved address search, additional visual features, improved satellite imagery, and constantly updated maps already used on billions of Apple devices around the world,” the official blog said. “Apple Maps are now being introduced into regular search results for the corresponding requests, and on a separate“ Maps ”tab”.

DuckDuckGo notes that this integration has a strict privacy policy : the company does not give Apple or other third parties any personal information, such as an IP address. When you receive searches with geolocation, the coordinates of the user are immediately deleted . Thus, the proprietary service Apple Maps does not prevent the anonymity of users.

The Apple Maps platform opened to third-party sites through the MapKit JS framework in June 2018 . Until that time, Apple only used these cards only for its own services.

The choice of a map provider became an actual problem for many web developers after a serious increase in prices on Google Maps ($ 7 for every 1000 map downloads, regardless of the size of the map or user zooming / panning; $ 5.60 with a discount for large amounts).

Apparently, the economic benefit was the main reason for the DuckDuckGo migration to Apple Maps.