Our XMPP services at DuckDuckGo

A small overview of what DuckDuckGo can offer you in the way of private communication over the open-source protocol XMPP.

What is XMPP?

XMPP (sometimes called Jabber) is an open-source instant messaging protocol which allows you to exchange instant messages with other users. Unlike normal messaging clients like Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ and MSN, XMPP's open structure means there are many different XMPP servers and clients for you to use while still being able to communicate to others through the same standard. If you are new to XMPP, just go to our other blog post about how to use Pidgin with our XMPP server. There, you'll get a brief overview of how to get an account--which you can use to communicate with all other XMPP users around the world.

I already have an XMPP account, what does this do for me?

In addition to our own XMPP server, we also have an XMPP chatbot running at im@ddg.gg. By adding it to your, "buddies" list, you can anonymously chat with our server to give instant-answers and search information directly from your messaging window. Try searching for your favorite actor or try plugging in a math equation. We'd love any feedback you have on how we can make this even better so please let us know!

Why should I use XMPP?

You may already be using DuckDuckGo for its privacy. In the world of messaging, most companies have full access to the messages you send. XMPP makes it possible for us to keep your chats anonymous and secure because no central company controls the servers, everyone has their own, and our XMPP server follows the same privacy policy as our search engine. This means that your communication is secure and will not be logged or tracked.