They want greater privacy and safety when searching online: As users resist sharing their personal data with search engines like Google, there is growing use of privacy-focused browsers like DuckDuckGo and Brave that provide users with greater control over privacy settings. In 2020, DuckDuckGo increased its traffic by 62% in one year. Since then... See more

While your friends may occasionally react to a Huff Post article about Big Tech encroaching on personal privacy with an angry emoji, most users are compelled by convenience, not privacy.