DuckDuckGo has revealed that it’s handing out $1 million to a long list of privacy groups, open-source developers, and Big Tech watchdogs for its 2026 charitable round. It is the 16th straight year the company has shared its profits this way, pushing its total donations since 2011 past $9 million.

According to the company’s blog post, a good chunk of that money is going straight to the folks keeping everyday web browsing independent, with $25,000 each heading to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Internet Archive, and the Tor Project so people can “explore the internet with privacy.”

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Another $30,000 went to the Internet Security Research Group, the lesser-known team behind Let’s Encrypt, which secures billions of web connections for free.

Signal picked up $50,000 for its encrypted messaging app, which tracks nicely with DuckDuckGo’s own push into safer communication after adding encrypted, expiring chat sharing to Duck.ai earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Open Source Technology Improvement Fund got $25,000 after using AI and security researchers to fix over 500 security bugs across critical open-source projects.

Beyond its software tools, DuckDuckGo is also investing heavily in groups that take tech monopolies to court. It supports work focused on “litigating privacy violations and reimagining privacy rights” to help build “an internet people can actually trust.”

Public Knowledge topped the entire list with a $75,000 check, while European Digital Rights received $50,000 and the privacy group noyb got $25,000 after filing over 850 legal complaints against Big Tech data collection.

That same watchdog focus explains why $25,000 went to the Algorithmic Justice League to push back on AI harms, an area that needs real oversight considering millions of users spill secrets to AI chatbots without realizing their chats can train future models or get subpoenaed.

 
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PiunikaWeb’s Take

Annual charity announcements from tech companies can sometimes feel more like tax write-offs than genuine goodwill. But DuckDuckGo’s list stands out if you care about the open web. Independent browsers and privacy apps rely on shared open-source code that often goes without the funding needed to maintain it, while also facing the challenge of competing with default browser settings on phones and desktops.

By supporting groups that fix open-source bugs and legal watchdogs challenging Google and Apple in court, DuckDuckGo is helping keep the foundations strong so smaller competitors have a better chance to succeed.

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Dwayne Cubbins
3155 Posts

I cover fast-moving stories across apps, online platforms, and everyday tech — phones, wearables, consoles, and whatever else people are fighting with this week. Bugs, rollouts, scams, policy enforcement, and the occasional internet-culture rabbit hole are all fair game. My goal is simple — make confusing tech news readable. When I'm not working, I'm working out or chilling with my dog. Got a tip? You can find me on X @dcubbins.