Tech News: What Chrome Incognito Mode Really Does and What Everyone is Getting Wrong About It
In this blog post, I'll mention the lawsuit that Google settled. The lawsuit claimed that Google had been misleading users about Chrome’s Incognito Mode.
What's Going On:
Here's what Incognito Mode in Chrome states for me. It clears says:
Others who use this device won't see your activity, so you can browse more privately. This WILL NOT change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google. Chrome WON'T save your browsing history, cookies and site data, information entered in forms.
The suit alleged the users who filed it claimed Google led them to believe their browsing history in Incognito Mode was entirely “private” and invisible to everyone.
The courts determined that Google's language regarding Incognito Mode could be misinterpreted, leading to inaccurate assumptions and misunderstandings.
Google has promised to make its language around Incognito Mode more clear, and it's already done so.
As JR Raphael over at Computer World mentions:
"As part of that settlement, Google agreed to delete “billions” of data records related to incognito browsing and to bring a beefier disclosure into Chrome’s incognito splash screen that explains how incognito browsing actually works. It also agreed to block third-party cookies by default for Chrome users when incognito mode is activated — a change it’ll maintain for the next five years, at a minimum. And it agreed to stop using internal systems that were able to detect when a user was browsing incognito and make note of that selection."
As JR also points out:
"Any sites you visit aren’t stored in your local browser history or the history associated with your Google account. And that, in fact, is how Incognito Mode on Chrome (as well as most other browsers) has always been positioned."
My Take:
Your activity WILL still be visible to websites you visit, including Google.
Simply put, Incognito Mode ONLY protects you from other people using the same device. Period. The internet works the same way it always has, but at least this forces Google to communicate more clearly about what it's doing, and its good faith gesture is to now delete anonymous user data it has collected from those who use Incognito Mode.
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