Conservatives vowed to quit the search engine DuckDuckGo after its CEO vowed to down-rank Russian disinformation sites on Thursday. The search engine is a favorite for conservatives and libertarians with privacy concerns. DuckDuckGo, which was founded in 2008, proclaims on its landing page: “Tired of being tracked online? We can help. We don’t store your personal info. We don’t follow you around with ads. We don’t track you. Ever.” Those who have flocked to the site in favor of Google in recent years are not happy after CEO Gabriel Weinberg announced the company would change its algorithm. Weinberg tweeted, “Like so many others I am sickened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the gigantic humanitarian crisis it continues to create. #StandWithUkraine️… At DuckDuckGo, we’ve been rolling out search updates that down-rank sites associated with Russian disinformation.” He added, “In addition to down-ranking sites associated with disinformation, we also often place news modules and information boxes at the top of DuckDuckGo search results (where they are seen and clicked the most) to highlight quality information for rapidly unfolding topics.” But as soon as he posted the update, many of those who use the search engine revolted on Twitter. “DuckDuckGo shows why you can’t back a “non-ideological” platform. It will always – always! – turn left wing,” commented Mike Cernovich. Michael Malice tweeted: “ would bet good money there was some intense behind-the-scenes pressure that led to this decision which strongly harms duckduckgo’s competitive advantage.” Meanwhile, Tom Fitton asked his followers if there are “any search engines that respect users?” Other conservatives similarly lashed out: https://www.mediaite.com/news/duckd...ws-to-down-rank-russian-disinformation-sites/ Right wingers are butthurt because they are losing access to all their favorite propaganda and conspiracy sources. Why the heck would you want access to Russian disinformation unless you're a disseminator of it yourself? Guess I answered my own question.
It used to be the fringe left had no sense of rationality. Now it’s the fringe right. The only difference was the left were put at the kiddie table while the grownups worked. Now those right wing kids are running the party.