[Update: Access Restored] Popular Search Engine DuckDuckGo Appears to be Blocked in India
Jul. 6, 2020Just a couple of days after theIndian government banned 59 Chinese apps,several users in India are not able to access popular privacy-focused search engineDuckDuckGo.
As per multiple user reports on Reddit and Twitter, DuckDuckGo has been blocked onIndia’s second-largest carrier Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone, and a few other networks.
From the looks of it, it appears like the Indian government has banned the website.Reliance Jio users are getting the generic website ban error messagethat reads “Your requested URL has been blocked as per the directions received from Department of Telecommunications. Please contact administrator for more information”
Here is the screenshot.pic.twitter.com/SbTtadS94U
DuckDuckGo has acknowledged the situation and is investigating the situation right now. A potential fix is not available yet other than using acustom DNSorVPNs.
Meanwhile, Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) is urging netizens to report if the search engine is not accessible on their ISP. You can do so from the link in the tweet below.
Please RT. We are going to look at this reported block and then take it up actively. Please let us know if duck duck go is blocked for you on your ISP!! Fill in this form now! We promise to take action!https://t.co/0DOpF7VVsOhttps://t.co/A6tDGL1XeS
We are not sure if this is a permanent ban for DuckDuckGo in the country or an aftereffect of a miscommunication between the Department of Telecommunications and ISPs. If the ban is permanent, it would be a significant violation ofnet neutrality. We will be updating once there’s more clarity in the situation and hence, stay tuned for updates.
So, is DuckDuckGo working in your ISP? Let us know in the comments.
Access to popular privacy oriented search engine DuckDuckGo has reportedly been restored in India. There is still no clarification from the DoT or the IT Ministry about why the service was blocked. However, it seems to be accessible from most internet providers once again.
Our team members are currently able to access DuckDuckGo from ACT Fibernet, Jio, Vodafone, and Airtel networks. However, there are still some reports that the search engine isn’t accesible via ACT Fibernet and Vodafone.
Subin writes about consumer tech, software, and security. He secretly misses the headphone jack while pretending he’s better off with the wireless freedom.
