DuckDuckGo adds AI image filter and scam blocker to boost privacy and safety
To access the new feature, users need to select the Images tab, which will show a drop-down with the option 'AI Images'. Later, users can either pick 'show' or 'hide' to indicate if they wish to view AI content in their search results.
By selecting the 'Hide AI-Generated Images' option in their search preferences, users can activate the filter. DuckDuckGo's latest functionality coincides with the proliferation of AI slop, meaning low-quality media content created with generative AI on the internet.
According to a post on X by DuckDuckGo, 'the filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, including the 'nuclear' list, provided by uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist.' It will significantly reduce the quantity of AI-generated images a user sees, even though it may not capture all AI-generated results.
https://x.com/DuckDuckGo/status/1944766326381089118
DuckDuckGo has made more than one improvement this week. The second tool serves as a wall restricting a variety of online threats and fraudulent online stores, false currency exchanges, scam survey websites, and those prompts of 'your device is infected'.
The tool will prevent such websites from loading if a user happens to click on a questionable link. It displays a warning, informing them that the page has been reported for attempting to trick visitors into paying for fake items, installing harmful software, or giving over their money. Users can then securely close the window without allowing the website to load.
In contrast to similar capabilities found in other browsers, DuckDuckGo's Scam Blocker is independent of Google's technology and does not monitor a user's online activity. Every 20 minutes, it retrieves updated lists of known harmful websites from security firm Netcraft, saves them locally on the device, and runs real-time checks—all without sending any data back to a server.
With increasing cyber threats, browser companies have enhanced their scam blocker products that were initially developed to stop phishing and malware attacks on the user.
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