Incognito Mode: What You Should Actually Know
You probably know it by different names depending on your browser. It's called "Incognito" in Google Chrome, "Private Browsing" in Firefox, "Private Window" in Safari and Brave, and "InPrivate" in Microsoft Edge. But no matter the name, the basic idea is the same.
When you open a window in this mode, your browser does not save your browsing history, cookies, or site data on your device after you close the window. This keeps your online activity private from anyone else who uses the same computer or phone. For example, if you're shopping for a gift on a family laptop, no one will see your searches or visited sites once you close the window.
That sounds helpful, right? It is, but many people think this mode offers much more protection than it actually does. The name "incognito" or "private" can be misleading. It suggests you're completely hidden online, but that's not the case.
Let's break down the facts clearly to get a better understanding of how to use this feature.
What Incognito Mode Actually Does
Private browsing first appeared in Apple Safari in 2005, but it gained widespread attention when Google Chrome added "Incognito" mode in 2008. Over the years, it picked up some humorous or cheeky nicknames. The feature helps people using shared computers browse with stronger local privacy.
In short, it stops the browser from storing your history, cookies, and temporary site data on your device. Your browsing feels completely normal, but everything disappears when you close the window. Even more than 20 years later, this remains handy whenever you need to keep activity off a shared device.
What it Doesn't Do
While incognito mode (or private browsing) excels at local privacy, it doesn't wrap your entire session in a secure, invisible shield. Your activity remains visible and trackable by the usual parties:
- Your internet service provider (ISP).
- Websites, advertisers, or trackers (especially on sites where you log in).
- Employers, schools, or network administrators.
It does a solid job of cleaning up your device's history so others can't peek locally. But it provides zero protection from monitoring or tracking on the broader internet.
What's worse is that even the browser company itself may still collect some data during private sessions. For example, in late 2023 Google agreed to settle a major class-action lawsuit (originally seeking $5 billion) over claims that it tracked users in Incognito mode despite the privacy promises. Read more here.
Why Use It?
Before we get into alternative options for browsing privately, some may wonder why anyone would use it if activities can still be monitored elsewhere. That's a fair question. In short, it's because of how browsers normally work.
Browsers give websites many ways to store information to improve your experience. For example, you might stay logged into a favorite streaming site, and cookies can remember that login so the site loads faster next time. But websites and advertisers can also use those same tools to track you across the web.
Say you visit website A and pick up a tracker from an ad network. When you later visit website B (where that network also has a presence), it can connect the dots and follow your activity. With incognito mode, you break that chain: visit the site, do what you need, then close the window; no cookies or history left in your browser to link things up.
So you can enjoy your guilty pleasure, like browsing a niche 1970s appliance fan site (yes, they will outlive us all!), without your regular browser sessions knowing about it. It's also perfect for surprise gift shopping or planning a vacation without leaving obvious traces for family or roommates to find.
More Private Mode
There are alternative options for browsing privately. The first is Mullvad Browser, a Mozilla-based, privacy-focused browser that automatically clears all browsing data every time the browser is closed. Developed with the Tor Project, this browser goes a long way to prevent things like browser fingerprinting and tracking, but makes it difficult for some to use as a daily driver. We use it as an alternative when certain websites have issues with Chromium-based browsers. We should also mention that a higher level of privacy can be achieved when matched with their VPN that will obscure additional information.
A higher level of privacy can be achieved by using the Tor Project, aka "The Onion Router", to encrypt and obfuscate all browsing. However, this can be a little more involved than many would like.
Our daily driver is Brave browser with Proton VPN. These are available on almost every platform and block a lot of ads and tracking. However, even then we will use a privacy window from time to time to view things to prevent them from being added to our history or when logging into a website multiple times for testing.
Beyond the Browser
It's important to think beyond the browser when it comes to privacy. For example, using a privacy focused search engine goes a long way to keeping your searches private. When a login is required for a website, we highly suggest using synthetic information and alias emails to keep any information collected isolated to that website.
Privacy works in layers, so understanding the full functionality and options available, including privacy browsing windows, will help your privacy journey.
Remember: we may not have anything to hide, but everything to protect.
