Incognito mode, also known as private browsing, is a feature in web browsers that allows users to browse the internet without the browser saving their browsing history, cookies, site data, and information entered in forms. When incognito mode is enabled, the browser doesn’t record your online activities during that session. However, incognito mode doesn’t make you completely anonymous online. Here are some quick answers about what incognito mode does and doesn’t do:
What does incognito mode do?
When you enable incognito mode in your browser, here are some of the things it prevents:
- Your browsing history is not recorded – Sites you visit are not added to your browser history while in incognito mode.
- Cookies are not saved – Cookies from sites you visit are only temporary and are deleted after the incognito session ends.
- Cached information is not saved – Your browser cache and other locally stored data related to sites you visit is cleared when you close all incognito windows.
- Web form info is not saved – Any information you enter into forms on sites is not saved by the browser.
- Pages are not added to your reading list – If your browser has a reading list feature, pages you view are not added to the reading list in incognito.
- Searches are not added to your search history – Searches you perform are not recorded in your browser search history.
- Downloads are kept – Any files you download stay on your device after you close the incognito windows.
What does incognito mode NOT do?
There are some important limitations to what incognito mode protects and does not protect:
- Your internet service provider (ISP) can still see your browsing activity. Incognito only prevents recording activity on your own device.
- Websites you visit can identify and track your activity while using incognito through methods like your IP address, device fingerprinting, and more.
- Your employer can still track your internet usage on a work device or network.
- Government agencies may be able to obtain your browsing history from your ISP if needed for an investigation.
- Advertisers can continue behavioral targeting through methods like device fingerprinting.
- Your activity isn’t hidden from other users of the same device. Other users can still view history and account info.
- Your downloads can reveal your activity. Even though browsing history is not retained, downloads will still indicate pages you accessed.
- Extensions and plugins may still log your activity unless disabled.
When is incognito mode recorded?
There are some instances when your incognito browsing activity could still be visible or recorded by parties other than your browser:
| Entity | Can see incognito activity? |
|---|---|
| Internet Service Provider (ISP) | Yes |
| Employer (on work device) | Yes |
| Government agencies | Yes, with proper legal authority |
| Website visits | Yes, through IP address and other potential tracking methods |
| Other users of same device | Yes |
| Browser extensions | Potentially yes, if not disabled |
| Advertisers | Potentially yes, through tracking methods like fingerprinting |
So while incognito mode prevents your own browser from recording your history, cookies, and other locally stored information, there are many ways your browsing activity can still be observed by outside parties. Incognito mode does not make you anonymous while web browsing.
Should I always use incognito mode?
Here are some things to consider regarding whether you should regularly browse in incognito mode:
- Incognito prevents locally stored tracking, cookies, and history, providing some privacy protection.
- Your browsing will not be available to other users of the same device when in incognito mode.
- However, ISPs, employers, the government, and websites can still monitor or view your activity.
- If you share a device with other users, incognito prevents them from seeing your history and auto-logged account activity.
- Regular browsingoutside of incognito can provide convenience features like autofill and personalized recommendations based on history.
- Be aware incognito does not make you anonymous. Additional tools like VPNs or Tor are required for anonymity.
Overall, incognito provides some privacy, but not complete anonymity. It depends on your specific privacy concerns. For casual personal use on a shared device, incognito mode can be helpful in keeping browsing private from other users.
What are the pros of using incognito mode?
Some pros of regularly using incognito mode for web browsing include:
- Prevents other users of your device from viewing your browsing history and activity
- Prevents your browser from locally saving cookies, site data, history and cache related to your activity
- Lets you visit pages without that activity being recorded in browser history
- Allows entering info in forms without it being saved by the browser
- Can prevent recommendations or ads based on your browsing history
- Provides some privacy protection against monitoring by employers or other local users
- You do not have to delete cookies or browsing history manually after a session
What are the cons of using incognito mode?
Some cons of browsing only in incognito mode include:
- Prevents useful autofill of information like names, addresses, passwords
- Lacks personalized recommendations based on your interests and history
- Does not provide anonymity protection against ISPs, agencies, or websites
- Have to re-enter form data each time if not saved by browser
- No saved reading or bookmark list to reference later
- Need to login to sites and accounts more frequently
- Extra step of having to enable and open an incognito window each time
- No built up browser cache for quick loading of commonly visited sites
What should you not do in incognito mode?
Some activities you should avoid performing in incognito mode include:
- Accessing sensitive accounts – Incognito still allows account activity monitoring
- Illegal downloading – Your activity is still visible to ISPs and websites
- Entering passwords – Unencrypted data entry still poses security risks
- Shopping online – Lack of autofill and saved data can make it inconvenient
- Disabling security settings – Lowering shields just for incognito browsing increases risk
- Accessing medical records – Entry of info without autofill could lead to mistakes
- Disabling extensions – Important security, privacy, accessibility extensions should remain on
In general, any activity requiring sensitive data entry or needing your browser history and saved data for convenience should be avoided in incognito windows, or done with extra caution.
Can employers see your incognito history?
When using a work computer or device, there are a couple ways employers can still potentially view your activity in incognito mode:
- Monitoring software – Software can log keystrokes, chats, network activity, files, and more.
- Network traffic – Employers can analyze network data to see sites visited.
- Device audits – Local device inspections can reveal downloads, account access, and residual data.
- ISP records – Employers can request browsing records from ISPs used for work devices.
- URL filters – Sites attempted to be accessed can be blocked and logged.
- IT admin access – Network admins may have access to usage logs and proxy server history.
Overall, while incognito provides some privacy on the specific device, employers have several avenues to potentially monitor and view browsing activity on company networks and devices.
Can schools see your incognito history?
For schools providing student devices or networks, there are also ways they can potentially see incognito browsing activity:
- Classroom monitoring apps – Can log browsing, chats, keystrokes, and application usage.
- Device administration software – Can track usage time, apps accessed, web activity.
- URL filtering – Can block and log attempts to visit specific websites.
- Traffic monitoring – School network activity can be analyzed for sites visited.
- Device audits – School-issued devices can be inspected for downloads, files, residual data.
- ISP access – Schools can request browsing records from ISPs for their networks.
While incognito mode doesn’t save activity locally, schools have administrative tools to potentially monitor and restrict inappropriate usage on school devices and networks.
Conclusion
In summary, while incognito or private browsing can provide some convenience, privacy protections, and benefits, it does not make you completely anonymous or hidden online. Your browsing can still be monitored by various parties, including your ISP, agencies, employers, and the websites you visit. Understanding the limitations of incognito mode is important when considering your privacy protections online. While it prevents your personal device from recording local history and data, additional tools and settings may be required for full anonymity. Overall, incognito mode is a useful feature for ocassional private browsing, but should not be relied on as a full privacy solution.