DuckDuckGo is urging schools to adopt its search engine as their default after Google reportedly told schools that turning off some of its AI features would also remove Google Search.

TechCrunch reported on Nov. 41 that Google Search now relies heavily on AI through AI Overviews and an AI Mode, so a school that wants AI removed from its tools may find Search affected too. The account of Google's terms rests on TechCrunch alone. No Google policy document or statement was retrieved, and DuckDuckGo's help page covers only what DuckDuckGo offers.

What TechCrunch reported about Google's terms

TechCrunch said Google told schools on Tuesday that they could turn off Gemini, but that shutting off its other AI features would cost them Google Search as well. After what TechCrunch described as backlash that day, Google said it was responding to schools' feedback. TechCrunch said Google added that Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search would be off by default, and that schools could enable them individually.

The two descriptions do not fully line up. One has Search lost when other AI features are disabled; the other has it off by default but switchable. TechCrunch does not explain the mechanism or the conditions.

TechCrunch also wrote that educators "are still asking for tools that let them remove AI from the learning process altogether." It named none.

For scale, TechCrunch cited figures Google published in previous years: around 50 million Chromebooks in schools and more than 150 million Classroom users. Google's September 2024 Chromebook post3 instead says 50 million "students and educators" would be powering up Chromebooks. That post also said Google was bringing Gemini to Workspace for Education and rolling out "admin controls for all generative AI features." A Classroom anniversary post says "more than 150 million teachers and students use Classroom and Assignments globally."4 Both are older material and do not address the current policy.

DuckDuckGo's pitch

TechCrunch said founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg pointed on X to DuckDuckGo's documentation for switching a school's default search engine and added, "get in touch for help." It said chief public affairs officer Kamyl Bazbaz wrote: "Forcing AI on school children: how a monopolist behaves when they think people are powerless. Prove Google wrong." In an email to TechCrunch, DuckDuckGo said Google could easily turn off Search's AI features for schools if it wanted to.

DuckDuckGo's deployment guide2 says administrators can set it as the default through Microsoft Intune, the Google Admin console, Jamf, Windows Group Policy or Firefox's policies.json. It says the methods use "standard, supported MDM policy mechanisms, so no custom software or additional licensing is required." The guide is vendor documentation, and the steps are as DuckDuckGo describes them, not independently tested.

The guide includes these specifics:

  • Google Admin console: Administrators lock the Chrome omnibox search provider to DuckDuckGo. The guide says this "only changes the default search engine in the Chrome address bar - it does not affect Google Classroom, Drive, Docs, or other Google services." It does not say whether students could still reach Google Search by going to Google's site directly.
  • Edge: Under a "users can override" policy, a user who switches away loses DuckDuckGo from the engine list until IT reapplies the policy. The guide recommends the ManagedSearchEngines policy when user choice is wanted.
  • Safari: The guide says Apple does not document MDM keys for the default search engine, and that the keys it lists are "community-sourced and may not work reliably." It advises Chrome or Firefox for a "fully enforced and reliable deployment."
  • Filtered versions: It lists ways to enforce safe.duckduckgo.com or noai.duckduckgo.com through a proxy, firewall or policy values.

The guide also says deploying DuckDuckGo reduces data exposure under "GDPR, FERPA, and similar privacy regulations," that Search is free to deploy, and that it "handles over 100 million daily searches." These are DuckDuckGo's own claims, and the guide offers no independent verification.

DuckDuckGo's own AI features

TechCrunch noted that DuckDuckGo is not opposed to AI. It offers a chat interface called Duck.ai and an AI search assistant, and the company says users can disable them in search and browser settings. TechCrunch said noai.duckduckgo.com turns off AI-assisted answers, AI-generated images and AI feature suggestions.

TechCrunch said DuckDuckGo reported earlier this year that its app installs were up 30%. It did not link to supporting documentation for the figure.