Google admits Chrome Incognito mode tracks users — what you need to know

www.tomsguide.com Google admits Chrome Incognito mode tracks users — what you need to know

Forget using incognito mode, you should invest in a VPN instead

Google admits Chrome Incognito mode tracks users — what you need to know::Google is adding new disclaimers to Chrome after the search giant settled a class-action lawsuit regarding how incognito mode isn’t actually as private as it appears to be.

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Even though going incognito prevents Chrome from saving cookies, site data and your browsing history, it doesn’t actually prevent websites or your internet service provider (ISP) from tracking you and knowing what you’re up to online. This news comes as a shock to many Chrome users but privacy experts have long warned that the browser’s incognito mode isn’t as private as you might think.

Know where else you'll find that same warning?

On every new incognito window in Chrome.

It's been there for years —

Your activity might still be visible to:

Websites you visit

Your employer or school

Your internet service provider
- Yeah...I feel like the only reason to use incognito has always been "I don't want my porn to show up in my search history and this is easier than manual deletion." It'd be nice if it meant privacy, but the world doesn't run on nice. :(
  
  Also, TCP/IP requires that the server receive your IP address (or that of a proxy, VPN endpoint, etc.) so that it can send the response back. Opening a new browser window doesn't change that.
  
  It's really good for present shopping if you use a shared device.
- Yeah I'm surprised this is news to some people. I thought everyone already knew this...
  
  Well remember they just got rid of the 🔒 icon because too many people thought it meant the site was safe.
  
  Hating on big tech is the new thing in 2024 I think. I’m not a fan either but this article is just stupid.
- Yeah I'm no fan of googles sketchy privacy practices, but to call this an admission just makes it sound like click bait. It was never a secret.
- Incognito mode could be much better if it also scrambled your browser fingerprint. Then it would be much, much harder to be tracked by Google/Amazon/Meta/etc. But of course they'd never do that, it would cut on their bottom line...
- Yeah it's not news at all..
This "article" is a front for the site's affiliate links to a bunch of VPN services and—believe it or not, in the year 2024—antivirus vendors.
- How do I summon the AI article-shortener thingamajig
I use a loooong stick and rubber hand to type on the typewriter part of the computer from a safe place just outside the door of the room. I then view any naughty content shown on the TV part, with binoculars.

No one will steal the fact that it’s me on the internets.

I don’t know why this easy solution is not better known. I think Googles is holding back on this valuable truth.
- Even better, do that but use a one-way mirror instead of standing outside
I thought the general assumption was that incognito mode was designed to stop websites from tracking you, not the browser.
- It's neither. It's to stop recording in your local history. To stop people who might be using the same computer as you from snooping.
  
  Look at how they marketed it when it first came out. It's when you want to buy your partner a gift without them knowing.
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