---
title: "Duck.ai | Ethical Stack"
url: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/duck-ai/
catalog_version: f6baff2119d0e9158520da7fbe4232011dac79f25bd08757436d7a1dbd593db2
---

# Duck.ai

Free, account-free chatbot interface that anonymizes requests to a changing set of model providers.

Canonical profile: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/duck-ai/

Scope: Duck.ai consumer chat, default mode; optional feedback, Sync & Backup, uploads, and provider exceptions are separate.

Published overall: 4.4; 5/6 dimensions rated.

Round the equal-weight mean of available numerical ratings to one decimal; require at least four of six for an overall score. BDS status stays outside the mean; for eligible profiles, a boycott target caps the final score at 2/10 and a pressure target subtracts one point (minimum 1). Not listed and not checked do not adjust the score.

## Energy practices

Finding: 2/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/duck-ai/#energy

For the Duck.ai default consumer chat route; the selected upstream model/provider can vary boundary, public documentation establishes the service or route but not its request-level physical footprint. The reviewed Duck.ai sources describe privacy routing and model-provider choices, but do not establish a user-facing task budget or measured resource savings. Electricity sourcing is not mapped to this route.

Reason: 1 + 1 reporting + 0 electricity + 0 controls = 2/10. This grades documented practices and transparency.

Argument: This practices/transparency assessment covers the Duck.ai default consumer chat route; the selected upstream model/provider can vary boundary. The sources establish how the service or endpoint is exposed and do not establish a documented resource-saving control; they do not give a measured per-request energy, emissions or water value. The disclosure point reflects the stated operating boundary, not a product footprint, and company-wide electricity reporting is not attributed to this route.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (dimension): Duck.ai consumer chat, default mode; optional feedback, Sync & Backup, uploads, and provider exceptions are separate.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: The reviewed sources do not establish request-level electricity, emissions or water; the actual serving facility and its power mix are also not mapped to Duck.ai default consumer chat route; the selected upstream model/provider can vary.

```json
{
  "method": "practices-transparency-v1",
  "scope": "Duck.ai consumer chat, default mode; optional feedback, Sync & Backup, uploads, and provider exceptions are separate.",
  "components": {
    "disclosure": {
      "score": 1,
      "reason": "The reviewed documentation defines the Duck.ai default consumer chat route; the selected upstream model/provider can vary boundary. It gives an operating-scope description, not a dated quantitative energy, carbon or water report for this route.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy",
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai"
      ]
    },
    "electricity": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No reviewed source maps Duck.ai default consumer chat route; the selected upstream model/provider can vary to a disclosed electricity mix or time-and-location-matched clean-power supply. The route's actual electricity use and emissions therefore remain unestablished.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy",
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai"
      ]
    },
    "demand": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "The reviewed Duck.ai sources describe privacy routing and model-provider choices, but do not establish a user-facing task budget or measured resource savings.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy",
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai"
      ]
    }
  },
  "actualImpactMeasured": false
}
```

- [Duck.ai privacy details and provider exceptions](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [DuckDuckGo approach to AI](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Training data

Finding: Depends on the model

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/duck-ai/#training-rights

Duck.ai can route to multiple model providers, so training corpus permission depends on the selected model and its release; its no-training promise concerns submitted chats.

Reason: Duck.ai can route to multiple model providers, so training corpus permission depends on the selected model and its release; its no-training promise concerns submitted chats.

Argument: Duck.ai documents that providers agree not to use conversations for training. That protects prompt data under the listed route but does not establish the rights or provenance of any provider model’s original training corpus.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): Duck.ai consumer chat, default mode; optional feedback, Sync & Backup, uploads, and provider exceptions are separate.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Exact model selection, release version, source inventory, permissions, post-training data, and creator-remedy scope remain unresolved.

```json
{
  "method": "training-rights-evidence-v1",
  "scope": "The stated training release or selected model",
  "components": null,
  "routeDependency": "Duck.ai can route to multiple model providers, so training corpus permission depends on the selected model and its release; its no-training promise concerns submitted chats.",
  "modelReference": null
}
```

- [Duck.ai privacy details and provider exceptions](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Your data & privacy

Finding: 9/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/duck-ai/#privacy

DuckDuckGo says chats are not stored by default or used for model training, removes identifying metadata before routing, and binds provider retention/training terms with documented exceptions.

Reason: No numerical score assigned because the reviewed evidence does not establish the route-specific controls needed for one.

Argument: Duck.ai publishes service-specific behavior rather than relying only on a general company privacy statement: default chat logging is off, request metadata is stripped before provider handoff, and providers agree to delete prompt/response content after generating a reply and not train on it, subject to stated exceptions.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): Duck.ai consumer chat, default mode; optional feedback, Sync & Backup, uploads, and provider exceptions are separate.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Feedback, Sync & Backup, voice/file moderation, and provider-specific exceptions change the scope; consult the current per-provider table.

- [Duck.ai privacy details and provider exceptions](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [DuckDuckGo approach to AI](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Openness

Finding: 3/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/duck-ai/#openness

Duck.ai is a hosted interface that routes to listed proprietary and open models; its interface and routing are not a self-hostable model runtime.

Reason: The score reflects service-level inspectability and control, not usefulness or model quality.

Argument: The official AI service documentation describes a hosted interface and multiple upstream models. That makes the service easy to access but does not expose its routing stack for self-hosting; model openness varies by selected upstream.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): Duck.ai consumer chat, default mode; optional feedback, Sync & Backup, uploads, and provider exceptions are separate.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Model list and provider selection change; inspect the chosen model’s own license separately.

- [Duck.ai privacy details and provider exceptions](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [DuckDuckGo approach to AI](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Worker protections

Finding: 1/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/duck-ai/#labour

Company-level worker conditions and supply-chain safeguards are not assessed from product terms alone.

Reason: 1 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 1/10. Documented worker protections; missing disclosure is an evidence gap.

Argument: The reviewed product material describes access and features but does not establish labor conditions for the company’s model-development, data-labeling, moderation, or infrastructure workforce. This is an evidence boundary, not a claim about worker treatment.

Type: argument; confidence: low

Scope (profile): Duck.ai consumer chat, default mode; optional feedback, Sync & Backup, uploads, and provider exceptions are separate.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Current worker conditions, voice, grievance outcomes, contractor scope, and independent assurance were not established in these product sources.

```json
{
  "method": "worker-safeguards-evidence-v1",
  "entity": "products/duck-ai",
  "company": "",
  "scope": "The named developer or operator",
  "components": {
    "conditions": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No qualifying worker-conditions disclosure was found in the reviewed product sources; this is a limited evidence gap.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy",
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai"
      ]
    },
    "voice": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No worker-voice or grievance outcome evidence was found in the reviewed product sources.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy",
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai"
      ]
    },
    "assurance": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No independent worker-safeguard audit was found in the reviewed product sources.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy",
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai"
      ]
    }
  },
  "disclosureLimited": true
}
```

- [Duck.ai privacy details and provider exceptions](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [DuckDuckGo approach to AI](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Military ties

Finding: 7/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/duck-ai/#military-contracts

No military or intelligence relationship is established by the reviewed product sources.

Reason: 7 base + 0 safeguard adjustment = 7/10 (0 of 9 safeguard points; every 3 adds 1). No military relationship was established in the cited sources. This ranks above known defense ties without claiming a verified clean record.

Argument: The official sources reviewed define product behavior and service terms but do not identify a military contract, deployment, or military-specific restriction for Duck Duck Go, Inc.. This is “not established” within this source set, not evidence that no relationship exists.

Type: argument; confidence: low

Scope (profile): Duck.ai consumer chat, default mode; optional feedback, Sync & Backup, uploads, and provider exceptions are separate.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Undisclosed contracts, downstream hosting, customer deployment, end-use, and enforcement are outside the reviewed product sources.

```json
{
  "method": "military-ties-priority-v2",
  "entity": "products/duck-ai",
  "company": "",
  "scope": "The named developer or operator",
  "components": {
    "restrictions": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No product-specific military-use restriction was identified in the reviewed materials.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy",
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai"
      ]
    },
    "oversight": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No military-specific enforcement or oversight mechanism was identified in the reviewed materials.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy",
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai"
      ]
    },
    "transparency": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "The product sources provide no military customer or deployment disclosure.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy",
        "https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai"
      ]
    }
  },
  "disclosureLimited": true,
  "relationship": "not-established",
  "relationshipReason": "No company military relationship was established in the reviewed product sources; the source set is not a customer-complete investigation.",
  "score": 7,
  "baseScore": 7,
  "safeguardPoints": 0,
  "safeguardAdjustment": 0,
  "rawScore": 7,
  "cap": null
}
```

- [Duck.ai privacy details and provider exceptions](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/ai-chat-privacy) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [DuckDuckGo approach to AI](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/approach-to-ai) (primary; checked not recorded)

## BDS targets

Finding: Not listed

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/duck-ai/#israel-palestine

DuckDuckGo, Inc. (Duck.ai) was not named in the BNC consumer-target guide or its No Tech target list when checked on 2026-10-24. This status covers those named lists only.

Reason: Campaign category, excluded from numerical scoring.

Argument: I checked the BNC consumer-boycott and pressure guide and the No Tech target list for DuckDuckGo, Inc. (Duck.ai). The company was not named in either list on 2026-10-24; this does not assess unrelated suppliers, customers, investors, or every BNC publication.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): Duck.ai consumer chat, default mode; optional feedback, Sync & Backup, uploads, and provider exceptions are separate.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: The result is limited to the two linked BNC target lists as checked on 2026-10-24; additions or other BNC publications may change the assessment.

- [BNC consumer boycott and pressure guide](https://bdsmovement.net/Guide-to-BDS-Boycott) (primary; checked 2026-10-24)

- [BNC No Tech campaign](https://bdsmovement.net/no-tech-oppression-apartheid-or-genocide) (primary; checked 2026-10-24)

## Reading the evidence

- Assessments are provisional editorial judgments. Cite the profile and the underlying sources, and retain confidence, scope and unknowns.

- Unknown, not-applicable and model-dependent are different states. Missing evidence does not establish good or bad conduct.

- Company-level evidence does not establish use of a particular product or model. Account plan, model, host and route can change an assessment.

- Energy scores describe documented practices and transparency, not measured request emissions. Zero component points can mean an evidence gap.

- Published overall scores require at least four of six numerical dimensions. Preserve coverage and BDS adjustments; BDS itself is categorical.

- No named BDS target found is limited to the reviewed campaign sources and is not approval. Personalized priorities do not change the published overall score.

- Review and source-check dates describe the research, not this deployment. Fetch current primary sources when the decision requires current verification.

Methodology: https://ethicalstack.ai/methodology/