What is an Incognito mode?

Internet is no longer transparent; from corporations to your local government, everybody wants a piece of it. In such an alarming environment, the inspiration for ways to keep users private on the web isn’t lacking. Creators of stand-alone products, add-ons, services, and various technologies based on the internet have long since realized the value of marketing privacy. Web browsers are no different. How can they be absent from this race? They are one of the most crucial aspect of a user’s online experience because they’re what connects a user to the internet directly. So it came as no surprise when browsers emerged with their adaptation of the privacy feature called Incognito mode. Incognito mode is what browsers claim to be private browsing, streamlined for keeping users’ online activities hidden. But before we delve further into the topic, we must understand what the terms “browsing” and “web browsers” mean.

What is a web browser?

A web browser (or browser for short) is application software that allows users to locate, access, and display web pages. Accessing the World Wide Web is what we call browsing, which is impossible for a device without a browser installed. More often, users confuse a browser with a search engine, though they are in no way the same. A search engine is a website that provides links to other sites. However, a web browser allows the user to connect to the server hosting the websites to view its webpage, search engine included.

Browsers are primarily there to display and access a web page on the internet. The process starts with the user inputting the target URL in the browser. Most URLs are in HTTPS format. The browser will retrieve the web page using hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPs), ensuring encrypted communication between the web server and the browser.

Communication risks

Even though the communication between a website and the browser is secure, it doesn’t mitigate online risks. The website users visit can utilize tracking cookies to locate and follow users around the Web. Hackers may be unable to circumvent this encryption, but can tag for a ride-along and so can your ISP and government. Data travels on the net in the form of packets which are easy to intercept, retrieve, and inspect. Yes, even when the communication is encrypted, although they’d find gibberish without a decryption key. That’s one of the reasons for private browsing.

What is private browsing?

Private browsing is a security feature that several browsers support. When enabled, the browser creates a temporary session, isolated from the browsers’ main session. Thus, any browsing history isn’t subject to saves, and any searches made arent subject to algorithms. Cookies are also automatically cleared when this temporary session is closed. The objective behind private browsing is: to stop interim sessions from affecting the main sessions by influencing user data and algorithms. It’s designed to prevents data and history associated with a particular browsing session from persisting on the device or being discovered by another user sharing the device.

However, private browsing does not necessarily protect users from being tracked by other entities such as websites or their ISPs. Identifiable data can still leak even from a private browser due to limitation in the operating systems, security flaws in the browser itself, or malicious browser extensions. Don’t mistake private browsing for an alternative to VPNs. It is a misconception that private browsing aids in online security like VPNs. They do no such thing. ISPs, or anyone for that matter, can uniquely identify users by relying on IP addresses and user account data.

Private browsing use cases

Some notably uses of private browsing are:

Hiding undesirable content from other users sharing the device.
Performing searches that are not algorithm influenced.
Providing a clean temporary session for a guest user.
Using websites with multiple accounts simultaneously.

Which browsers support private browsing?

Some popular web browsers that offer private browsing are:

Google’s Chrome
Mozilla’s Firefox
Microsoft’s Edge
Apple’s Safari
Brave
Opera

Defining Incognito mode

In recent years different web browsers have launched their private-browsing functions. For Chrome, it is the incognito mode. Firefox calls it Private browsing. As for Microsoft Edge, it coined the term InPrivate for its private browsing session. However, no matter that name, all these functions spread across different browsers is essentially the same.

Incognito mode is a privacy setting on your Chrome browser that allows users to surf the web anonymously. It stops the browser from locally storing any data related to your online browsing and automatically deleting any information like credit card numbers or passwords and cookies once you have closed incognito mode.

Incognito mode doesn’t save any data locally but this only includes the data with the browser. Incognito mode is unable to hide you from anyone on the internet, especially your ISP. It is a convenience that helps users with a clean browsing experience and is not an all-out security option.

How does Incognito mode work?

Any website you open when browsing in Incognito mode will assume that you are a new visitor. This way, it’s harder to leave digital footprints when you close the incognito session. All data regarding the session is automatically deleted and removed from your local device. Three things happen when you use incognito mode:

Your browser stops recording your online history — Almost every browser out there will save online browsing history. Incognito mode doesn’t.
Your browser automatically deletes cookies and site data after a session ends — Cookies can track a user’s online habits. However, cookies and any other data create during an incognito session are subject to automatic deletion after the session ends.
The browser doesn’t store information you entered into any forms and permissions granted to websites. — Websites will not remember permissions granted to them when surfing incognito. Even auto-filling an online form won’t be possible. On top of that, you won’t get any search suggestions.

How to use Incognito mode?

To access incognito mode on popular browsers like Chrome or Firefox, all you need to do is:

Chrome

Open Google Chrome on your device, then open Incognito in 3 ways:

Locate and click the three dots button in the upper right corner.
1. A dropdown menu will appear.
2. Now, select the New incognito window.
Access it by going to the menu, then file, and finally selecting Open incognito mode.
Use the following keyboard shortcut for incognito mode:
1. For Windows — Ctrl + Shift +N
2. For Mac — ⌘ + Shift+ N

On Firefox

Launch Firefox and then do one of the two things:

Find the menu button in the top right corner.
1. Click it and then go to the New private window
Utilize the keyboard shortcut — Ctrl + Shift +N

On Safari

After launching Safari on a Mac computer, you can do one of the following:

Find the menu button (three dots icon) in the top right corner.
1. Click it and then select the New private window
Take advantage of the keyboard shortcut — ⌘ + Shift+ N

When to use it?

While useful, it is not a great idea to be always incognito. There are times when you have to effortlessly switch between a personalized browsing session and a clean incognito mode. The reasons behind these transitions may be but are not limited to:

When you are on a public device — On a device available to the public, you must be areful not to leave any personal data behind. As such, using incognito mode on such devices is well worth it. This also applies to sharing a single device with your friends and family.
When you do not want to deal with cookies — Cookies can be a hassle. Many don’t know which cookies to keep or which to delete. By using incognito mode, you won’t have to deal with cookies as it will delete them automatically after each session.
To gain an outsider’s perspective — For a creator, one may be interested in how his sites look from a neutral point of view. Incognito mode can help with it. Every time you log in under incognito, it will be as a new user; Unrelated to the blog or website.
Access websites you don’t want others to know/notice — One of the obvious uses of incognito mode is to hide what you do online from other users. Since it doesn’t store any browsing history, others can’t find what you did online. However, this is only limited to local storage, your browser, and other people who use it.
When you want fewer targeted ads — No algorithm can affect your searches whatsoever. Even your cookies will automatically delete when on incognito. It will make it harder for websites to tackle you with targeted ads.
Enjoy multiple sessions — Incognito mode allows users to access the same website with multiple accounts. One can use personal and work email together.

Advantages of Incognito mode

These are pros of using Incognito mode:

Multiple accounts — Incognito mode allows users to log in to multi accounts on a single device without logging out first. We provided an example above.
Easy deletion of cookies — Cookies can keep your records like login credentials or preferences. By using incognito mode, you won’t have to deal with cookies anymore.
Prevents the third party from collecting data — Some websites like travel booking agencies use your recent searches to increase their rates. It will allow you to get cheaper fares in some cases.
Help troubleshoot problematic extensions — Some browser extensions may be faulty. You can continue browsing uninterrupted by enabling Incognito mode, which would disable them by default.
Algorithms do not auto-fill suggestions — If you do not want recommendations based on your browsing habits, switch to incognito mode. Maybe you want to experience a fresh and cleaner approach to browsing. The searches and websites you view on incognito aren’t affected by any algorithms, thus providing the user with a clean outlook.

Limitations of Incognito mode

The following are some drawbacks of Incognito mode:

Don’t expect anonymity on incognito — One of the most foolish things to do online is believing in the concept of anonymity. No one is truly anonymous on the internet. One can come pretty close to it by using technology such as VPN, but relying on an incognito mode for anonymity is a fallacy.
You are traceable as your IP address is accessible — Your online traffic goes through ISP. That is why when you connect to a web server, it will know your IP address provided by the ISP.
Your browsing history is not gone — ISPs control your online traffic and thus will have a record of your online activity.
Only local privacy, don’t expect privacy on network-level — Incognito mode can hide you from other users sharing the same device, but this privacy is only local. It will not work on a network. Anyone in charge of the network, be it your employer, school, or college, will be able to monitor what you do online.
Digital fingerprinting can snub incognito mode — Multiple plugins make a browser insecure as they can easily share your data within themselves. Google takes advantage of this and can track your online activity even when on incognito.
Can’t protect against viruses and malware — One of the misconceptions general users have is that incognito mode prevents malware and virus attacks. It does not! So, always use proper tools to safeguard against malware and virus.
Need for manual activation — There isn’t a way for the incognito mode to be activated automatically. Therefore, if you forget to launch it and continue browsing as is, the whole endeavor will be moot.
DNS query can unravel your incognito mode effortlessly — A DNS query made on your device can reveal everything you did online.

Ways to make Incognito mode more secure

There are ways to make sure incognito mode becomes more secure. To do so, however, you need to stop using this function as a stand-alone for your privacy concerns. Instead:-

Use a VPN — Whatever an incognito mode offers in terms of privacy and security, VPNs do it better. Although pricey, they ensure users’ online safety. If you want to make the incognito mode more secure, try to use it with a VPN service.
Say yes to private search engines — Google may be the most popular search engine on the planet, but it is nefarious when it comes to privacy. If you are concerned about your online privacy, try using private search engines like DuckDuckGo or Neeva.
Understand your cookies settings — Not every cookie is harmful to your browsing. However, it takes time to understand which cookies to trust. To learn more about cookies, familiarize yourself with the built-in browser settings.