Going incognito, as the name suggests, means doing something covertly. Today, everyone realizes the value of internet privacy, a term that spawned a variety of methods that supposedly assure users about their online safety. Private browsing is one of them. But is it effective? While the so-called Incognito mode may give users the illusion of a secure browsing experience, they aren’t all that private. In reality, your online antics are visible for anyone to see, be it your ISP, government, or the non-descript customer that is 24/7 active on a public WiFi. This isn’t a fault on the browser’s side. After all, they do disclose this on the opening tab of an incognito window. It’s actually a huge misconception amongst the netizens if recent research is to be believed.
Can Incognito mode guarantee security?
Incognito mode ensures that every time you visit a website, it comes across as a fresh experience, for lack of a better explanation. True, they delete cookies and your browsing history, but it isn’t that effective as users think. A simple DNS query can still present a list of websites you visited, even on a private browsing session. And do not forget, websites themselves can easily keep track of your IP address, with or without incognito. Lastly, your ISP is what funnels your online traffic across the vast World Wide Web.
Thus, it is a mere dream if you believe that an incognito mode can prevent it from logging your browsing history or locating your current IP. But wait. What is the use of private browsing and does it even work? Well, it does, however, not in ways people generally misconstrue. This article will aim to highlight the misconceptions surrounding incognito mode, the limits it has, and the actual benefits it carries.
What does Incognito mode do?
Incognito mode is a privacy function adopted by several browsers, albeit by a different name. Be it Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, or Opera, they offer private browsing, aka, incognito mode one way or other. It helps the user with their local privacy. In simple terms, what incognito does is that it forgets a session even happened as soon as you close the window. The fact that it can’t hide your IP address doesn’t automatically mark it as useless because it has a set of advantages. Yet, people often distort what an incognito mode ought to do and expect things way beyond its scope.
Typically, an incognito mode:
- Deletes browsing history after a session.
- Doesn’t save any information required for algorithms to work.
- Deletes cookies you may encounter while browsing.
Incognito mode removes everything from your last browsing session, making it impossible for others (locally) to see what you did online. Using incognito mode is like starting afresh with a blank slate. You can also enjoy multiple accounts on the same browser. These sorts of things are where incognito excels. It caters to your local privacy by ensuring your safety on a public computer. It also helps you hide from other users on your shared PC. As long as you use this function with proper knowledge regarding its limitations and manage your expectations well, it won’t disappoint.
How do cookies work?
Cookies are small blocks of data created by the webserver to enhance your online browsing experience. While you browse a website, the server installs a cookie on your browser that constantly collects your online behavior data in the background. The information a cookie collects isn’t limited to the user’s online behavior pattern. It can also efficiently collect information regarding the user’s location and personal information.
What doesn’t Incognito mode do?
When the browsers claim that incognito mode can effortlessly delete your browsing data, they fail to mention that it deletes what is stored on your device locally only. Whatever a browser stores on a company server may not get deleted altogether, irrespective of private browsing. On top of that, incognito is incapable of deleting records of your visit from the target website’s servers. It doesn’t provide you anonymity even on a network level. Your employers/school/college is aware of what you do incognito.
Logging to your favorite websites while incognito defeats the purpose too. The sites can cross-reference your profile to learn what you did on that particular server even with no cookies. Remember, an incognito mode can’t hide:
- Your IP address — Your browser may not know what you do when browsing privately, but your ISP certainly does.
- Your site data — People have a misconception that going incognito prevents websites from tracking them. The target website will always have a record of your visit despite incognito mode. And if you log into the site, then it will know for sure who you are.
What can’t Incognito mode locally hide?
While local privacy maybe not amount to much, it’s still better than nothing. However, there are times when incognito fails to deliver regarding local privacy such as:
- When a user downloads files or adds bookmarks — Your download and bookmarks won’t go anywhere even after a private session, beware.
- When a device has parental controls installed — Private browsing can’t hide browser history from parental control software.
- It can’t help you against spyware — This type of malware is designed to spy on your activity. It can record your keystrokes and log your online activity, and a private browser can’t do much about it.
- When you log into specific sites like Google or Facebook — When you log into such websites, everything you do becomes traceable.
- Websites using browser fingerprinting — Some websites can generate your digital fingerprint to identify you. It is pretty advanced stuff that generally a user can’t guard. Said websites will covertly create a profile of you based on your online habits. These websites often ask your browsers for additional inconsequential information such as the make and model of your device, your OS, the kinds of fonts you have installed. While it may seem insignificant, to advanced tech, these are all clues that can effortlessly identify you amongst millions of visitors. As of now, there is no foolproof to tackle the issue of browser fingerprinting.
Online privacy issues of Incognito mode
As we have already covered, incognito, or whatever you call it, is only effective for local privacy but with certain limitations. And it’s not like these browsers advocate other uses for private browsing. They do not manipulate others into relying on an incognito mode for their online security. Still, many users have general misconceptions regarding what private browsing is and what incognito can do.
Let us clear it once and for all the online privacy issues regarding incognito mode. It doesn’t and can not hide your IP address from anyone, be it your ISP, government, websites, or malicious individuals. Do not mistake privacy browsing for using a VPN. VPNs are complete networks, while the incognito mode is a simple feature that ensures the deletion of locally stored files. So, while the term incognito means to act secretly, it can’t hide your online lifestyle from prying eyes.
Network privacy issues of Incognito mode
Another issue is many don’t distinguish between local resources and network-level resources. Incognito can help you on a local level, i.e., within the confines of your device. But when you are on a network, especially when you don’t have admin rights, incognito will be unable to hide your online joviality. Why? Because your browser’s incognito mode has no control over your online traffic, unlike VPNs. There are three types of protocols a network abides by, and incognito fails to deliver against each.
- School or Office — These are large networks with their servers and moderators. If you are on such a network, remember that moderators have total control over the traffic. Therefore, they can see what you do online even when browsing privately.
- Public network — Such networks have poor security and are often prone to cyber-attacks. If you are on a public network, don’t get complacent when using Incognito mode. Because your public IP address is publicly available, malicious individuals can easily intercept data packets to and from your device. These packets aren’t encrypted and can lead to disaster.
- Home networks — Because LAN has local in its name, you shouldn’t expect incognito to work on it. Your home network is in direct control of your ISP and your ISP monitors your online traffic. Thus, with or without incognito mode, it knows what you do online.
If not Incognito, then what?
Does incognito mode work? Certainly not in ways people think it can. Which brings us to the question of if not incognito, then what? Well, there are often more solutions than problems, and such is the case with online privacy. Even without incognito mode to aid you, there are ways to boost your online security and privacy, be it by using proxies or standalone technology like TOR (The Onion Router). However, one technology comes to mind when safety online is mentioned – a Virtual Private Network. A user can rely on VPNs alone, but the best results regarding online safety experience are produced when they’re combined.