Incognito Mode Won’t Keep Your Browsing Private. Do This Instead.
Browser compartmentalization can help you escape the clutches of the data-gathering machine
By Michael Grothaus
The big tech giants, online advertising companies, and data brokers use a ton of tricks to track you around the web. These include things like cookies, location and device logging, fingerprinting, and even share buttons, the last of which make it very easy for companies like Facebook and Google to see what you do online, even on third-party websites.
Of course, today’s users aren’t blind to much of this tracking. And most people who are aware of it will take (somewhat predictable) steps to do what they think will hide their online activity from tech companies.
One of the most common techniques people think can help hide their activity is the use of an “incognito” mode in a browser. This opens a secure browsing window where third-party cookies are blocked and browsing history is paused.
Sorry, no
The problem with incognito modes is they provide a false sense of security.
Despite what most people assume, incognito modes are primarily built to block traces of your online activity being left on your computer —…
