Privacy is quickly becoming a privilege that is hard-to-earn. It's difficult to shake off the eerie feeling that everywhere you go, invisible eyes are watching you as you search through websites: Google, Facebook, your internet service provider, the government, the person sitting next to you, etc.
One of the best known is the Chrome Incognito window, Google's version of private browsing, among the many privacy-enhancing tools. If you are surfing on a shared device, the Incognito window offers a measure of privacy. It's far from being a flawless solution, though.
Unfortunately, many people don't grasp Google's Incognito window's privacy consequences and end up trusting it more than they should. According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago and Leibniz University of Hannover, many users incorrectly assume that Google's Incognito mode and other private browser windows shield them from malware, ads, tracking codes and gateway monitoring.
Here's what you need to know about the privacy features and the limitations of Chrome's Incognito window.
Google Chrome's Incognito window's protection benefits
Interestingly, when opening a new private window, Google specifically spells out what you can expect from Incognito mode. "Now you can browse privately, according to Google, and other individuals won't see your activity."
What do they mean by activity?
Browsing history: To make it easier for you to return to certain sites in the future, Google Chrome keeps track of the webpages that you frequently visit. All web pages you have visited before are displayed by pressing CTRL+H on Windows.
In addition, any page you visit will be registered in your online browsing history if you have synced your Chrome browser with your Google account. This ensures that your browsing history will be moved over if you go to another device and sync your Google account to a new Chrome browser.
The Incognito window will not record your browsing history and will, after you close it, erase traces of web pages you visit. The privacy advantage you get is that your browsing history won't be able to peek at the next person who sits behind your computer.
Cookies and Site Info: Cookies are bits of data that are shared between the browser and the web server that are attached to websites. Cookies keep track of web applications' user sessions, site preferences, local settings and other critical functions.
Cookies are what make it possible for websites to display various content to each user. The web server creates a cookie and sends it to your browser when you log in to an online account, say Gmail or Facebook. On any new request, the browser stores the cookie and returns it to the server (every time you click on a new button or link). The server uses the cookie to connect your user ID with your application session and to serve information corresponding to your user account.
Cookies also allow providers of web services to track you through websites. Facebook uses your session cookie to track you when you browse a website that has the Facebook Like and Share button or the invisible Facebook Pixel, and then uses the details to target you with ads.
None of your cookies are carried over when you open up a new Incognito window. This can be checked by browsing Facebook or Gmail. You will always be guided to the login tab, even though you have signed in to your account before opening the Incognito window. The website would handle you as a new user without a cookie.
The privacy advantage of the Incognito window is that without traceable cookies, you will be able to move to various pages (there is a caveat to this that I will discuss later). Also, closing the Incognito window would delete the cookie associated with that session if you log in to another online account. Therefore, even though you forget to log out before closing the browser, the next person who sits behind the computer would not be able to access the accounts you were using while you were in Incognito mode.
Information entered in forms: Forms are text fields that you find on websites that require information such as your name, username, email address, phone number, etc. to be filled in. When the information in a form is entered. In order to make it easier for you to enter data into forms, it then makes it available on other websites.
However, if you are using a public device, this function could turn into a privacy problem. When navigating to websites that have data forms, other individuals using the same Chrome browser can see your personal data.
When you close it, the Incognito window deletes all the details you entered in the forms, giving you more protection on shared computers.
Google Chrome's Incognito window protection requirements
Google also makes it clear that there are some places where Chrome's Incognito window won't provide protection.
The websites you visit: Using cookies is the best way for web applications to track users. It's not the only way they can track you, however. Other bits of information will point to your computer. For example, I've seen some users search Twitter using the Incognito window, thinking it will protect their privacy and mask their identity. As Incognito does not bring cookies through their browser, the idea is that Twitter would not be able to connect their operation with their account.
But Twitter also keeps track of the form and version of the IP address, device type, device ID and browser. Technically, all those variables can be used to connect your behavior to your account. When you're not logging in to your account, Facebook goes further and also monitors your activity through other websites.
Your employer or school: All your traffic will be channeled through a gateway such as a router or server if you're using a corporate or school network. If you are browsing in Incognito mode or not, the person who manages the gateway will have total visibility into your traffic. They will filter the Internet traffic of the network based on IP addresses and monitor your surfing habits.
Your provider of internet services: The ISP is the organization that offers you internet access. Think of it as the corporate network manager, but at a far larger scale. ISPs are also gateways, meaning that all your surfing patterns can be tracked, regardless of whether or not you use private browsing.
Bookmarks and downloads: If you download something when using the Incognito window, after you close the window, it will remain in your download folder. Also, the bookmark will be saved on your main browser if you happen to bookmark something while browsing in Incognito. Bear in mind that.
Final thoughts
When browsing the Incognito window, if you want to improve your privacy, consider using a private virtual network (VPN). Your internet traffic is encrypted by VPN applications and channeled via a VPN server. This will mask your nearby gateway or ISP from your browsing activities. They're not going to know which places you're browsing, but they're going to be able to detect that you're using a VPN.
Overall, be careful: if you have questions about other users who have access to your device and browser, Chrome's Incognito window is a good privacy feature. This is about as far as you can trust it, though.
