2 years ago, DuckDuckGo has recorded a 600% rise in traffic following the ex-NSA contractor leaks. The service not tracking user data is currently is now handling about 3bn searches per year. However, this is not much, because Google, for example, processes the same volume in just one day.

Back in 2014, Apple helped the popularity of the search service by introducing DuckDuckGo as an option in Safari’s search in iOS8. The company was set up in 2008 and based in Pennsylvania rather than Silicon Valley. Its founder explains that the service earns from keyword advertising that advertisers bid for. For example, if a user types in car, they get a car ad, which is quite straightforward.

So, how is DuckDuckGo different from other search engines and why it went so popular after Snowden’s revelation? The matter is that Google tracks users on all of these other websites in order to run their context advertising networks and other properties like Gmail and photos. As a result, adverts related to what you were searching for follow you round the web.

On contrary, DuckDuckGo focuses only on web search, and it therefore avoids the need for tracking. Its founder explains to Internet users that they don’t really understand their data is being leaked for many reasons they have no idea about. For example, if you think that browsing in incognito mode protects you from tracking, you are wrong: Google is still tracking you, and so does your Internet service provider.

While DuckDuckGo’s share of the search market can continue to grow, the brand awareness still remains quite low. The service is also known for offering the information users want with fewer clicks using such features as instant answers, themes and !bangs. This is a feature you won’t get from Google or other engines: for instance, if you put “!” before a search for “!amazon shoes”, the service will take you directly to an Amazon search for footwear on Amazon.com. DuckDuckGo offers !bangs for many popular services, including Twitter, Facebook and eBay.

The search engine believes that such unique features can help it develop further, attracting more audience gained from people searching for more private ways to search the Internet in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations.