DuckDuckGo has announced that its browser can now block most video ads, including those on YouTube, when a video is played within the browser itself. The move is a pointed challenge to rivals such as Chrome, whose owner Google also runs YouTube, and reflects DuckDuckGo's continued positioning around privacy and a cleaner browsing experience.

The feature relies on the open-source community filter lists from uBlock Origin, though DuckDuckGo may apply its own rules for better compatibility; users may notice longer buffering times and the occasional glitch. Blocking is on by default for most users on iPhone, Windows and Mac, and will be enabled automatically on Android soon, though it can be switched on manually in the meantime. It can be toggled on or off in settings on all platforms, and only works when videos are watched in the DuckDuckGo browser rather than the YouTube app.