It is supposed that the ‘App Tracking Protection for Android’ would be able to help downgrade the targeted advertising that Android users are used to seeing.

Peter Dolanjski, who is a director of product at DuckDuckGo, shared that the whole idea was blocking all the data collection from happening from the applications the trackers don’t possess.

Android users will be provided an experience which is similar to Apple’s ‘App Tracking Transparency’ option and it allows users to choose data tracking within apps.

Although the tool is available through DuckDuckGo’s private browser, it will still be working across the device. It is said to block ‘’trackers that it identifies in other apps from third-party companies. ‘’ Furthermore, it can cause your device to conduct like a VPN.

DuckDuckGo explained that the reason is the ‘App Tracking Protection’ which is using a local VPN connection. It was explained that this tool is different from VPNs because it never approaches app data through an external server but according to DuckDuckGo, there are more than 96% among the most famous applications, containing trackers which aren’t familiar to users.

The company announced that it’s rolling out a feature with its mobile app called Neighborhoods for US Canada. Facebook users have to be at least 18 years old to use the new tool, which will allow people to find neighbours who have common interests, discover local groups and businesses, participate in polls along with receiving and offering help.

Using Neighborhoods is optional and users will need to share their location to get matched to a neighbourhood. Outside of sharing their Facebook profile information, users can also provide their interests and there’s also a section to get to know the pets in your neighbourhood. product manager for Facebook Neighborhoods, Reid Patton, said in an interview:

“We’re not only showing people who live in their neighbourhood but how they relate to them and what these people are interested in and care about.”

Canadians who already started testing the tool have used the feature to find missing pets, organize hiking trips, make new friends, find a handyman and get baking materials.

The new feature, available for both Android and iPhone users, could also create more challenges for Facebook, a platform that is already struggling to moderate the billions of posts that flow through its site.

Patton explains that every neighbourhood will also have moderators to make sure people are staying within the guidelines and being kind. Users with accounts that are too new and people who have repeatedly violated the site’s rules won’t be allowed to use Neighborhoods.

Users who are eligible to test out Neighborhoods will get a notification and a banner in the Facebook app encouraging them to try it out.