You may use Google’s ‘Incognito Mode’ for added protection while browsing. But, how secure is this private browser? Although Google’s ‘Incognito Mode’ helps provide some protection against tracking, as a lawsuit in 2020 revealed, it does not protect all online activities.
Read on to learn more about how Google’s ‘Incognito Mode’ is in the middle of a lawsuit and how you can better protect your internet browsing privacy.
What is Google’s ‘Incognito Mode’?
Incognito mode is Google’s form of private browsing that limits the data your browser collects about you. Each session you open starts a fresh history. Private browsers don’t record the web pages you visit or store cookies.
Instead, it logs you out of your accounts after you exit the browser and halts browsing extensions. People like to use ‘incognito mode’ to make sure they are logged out of online accounts when they share a computer.
A private browser can keep your data safe from someone else accessing your account. Private browsers are also helpful when you need to log into multiple accounts at the same time. Each incognito browser can access the same account.
For example, if you need to have your work and personal email opened at the same time, you can open up each one in a separate incognito browser so that your browser doesn’t automatically log you into one or the other account.
Another reason people use private browsers is if they have a question that may be secret or embarrassing. This could be as simple as looking up information about a pregnancy you aren’t ready to share yet. Or, searching for the perfect gift for your partner.
It can be anything that you just don’t want other people to be able to see if they log into your computer. Browsers usually predict previous queries and when you type in a couple of letters, they can fill in with a question you asked before.
This can be embarrassing if someone is with you as you search on your web browser or if they share a computer with you. With ‘incognito mode,’ you can search without the browser remembering it later.
People also use ‘incognito mode’ to go into a website and get online deals. The website won’t remember that you’ve already been there, so you can get promotional deals that way. It is a way to be thrifty or to get around limitations on quantity when ordering products online.
There are many ways Google’s incognito mode can be useful.
How Does Google’s Incognito Mode Work?
According to Google Chrome Help, Chrome doesn’t save browsing history, cookies, site data, or completed forms while you browse privately. They state: “If you don’t want Google Chrome to remember your activity, you can browse the web privately in Incognito mode.”
Your information is not stored so other people who use the device will not be able to see your activity. Your incognito browsing is not recorded in your browser history. Websites see you as a new user and none of your accounts will recognize you.
How To Use Google’s ‘Incognito Mode’
This private browser runs in a separate window from your normal Chrome browser. To access ‘Incognito Mode’ on Google, open Chrome. Then, at the top corner, right-click the three dots. Select “New Incognito Window.”
This will open a new window. To know whether you were successful or not, check for the hat with the glasses icon in the top corner. This is the incognito icon. It looks like an emoji of a private eye.
You can switch back and forth between ‘Incognito mode’ and a regular Chrome browser. To exit ‘Incognito Mode,’ close the window using the “x” in the top corner. You can use this private browsing mode with Windows, Chrome OS, Mac, and Linux.
What Are ‘Incognito Mode’s’ Limitations?
Although Incognito mode helps you to browse more securely, it doesn’t protect you from everything. It does not hide your IP address nor does it encrypt your internet traffic. Internet service providers (ISPs) can still monitor and throttle your internet based on your activity.
School and work networks can still see your browsing activities, and block sites they deem inappropriate. Also, even though cookies are not stored after the browsing session is over, web trackers can collect your data from these sites while the session is open.
Files you download and pages you bookmark will also remain on your device, even when ‘Incognito Mode’ is on. Your online accounts will also record every time you log in. The most important limitation of ‘Incognito Mode’ is that it does not protect you from malware.
According to Statistica, 5.5 billion malware attacks were detected around the world in 2022. Websites and email were the main vectors for these attacks. Worms, viruses, ransomware, trojans, and backdoor malware were all part of the problem.
So, if you are trying to protect yourself from malicious software threats, ‘incognito mode’ will not help.
What Led to Google’s ‘Incognito Mode’ Lawsuit?
In 2020, a $5 billion lawsuit issued by a handful of Google users accused Google of collecting information about people’s browsing habits during ‘Incognito Mode.’
These users filed a complaint against Google stating that Google was gathering data about users’ friends, hobbies, favorite foods, shopping habits, and much more without permission. Google has had ‘Incognito Mode” available to users since 2016.
The case would result in at least $5,000 compensation to all affected parties, which would include a lot of Google users. According to Google representatives, the incognito tab states that some websites will still be able to collect data.
However, users are continually being blindsided by the fact that trusted websites and browsers are collecting their data through third parties and using that information for commercial gain.
Google asked the judge to throw out the case, but U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said that she could not find where users consented to allow Google to collect information they viewed online during ‘incognito mode’.
The plaintiffs have evidence that Google stores both regular and private browsing data in the same logs that they use to send personalized ads. Judge Rogers found that Google had a pilot program that paid users $3 a day for their browsing histories, demonstrating the monetary gain they get from gathering this kind of data from users.
Google may violate the Federal Wiretap Act, the California Invasion of Privacy Act, the Comprehensive Data Access and Fraud Act, and 4 other accounts of privacy violations. The results of this case will have implications that go beyond just Google.
The case will help define how companies can use user’s data and what constitutes an agreed-upon privacy policy.
The Evidence
According to court documents, while users use the private browser, Google sends a GET request to the website. The GET request contains the URL, the webpage, the user’s IP address, the device, the user’s location, and the event data (whether or not a user clicked on an ad or played a game).
Google’s code, which over 70% of websites use, is embedded in these websites. Google does not tell websites that when they agree to use Google Analytics and Ad Manager they are tracking users even during private browsing mode.
The plaintiffs claim that once Google has this private browsing history they add it to the user’s profiles. There is a high demand for this data, so much so, that Google has piloted a program in which it asks users to sell their browsing history data for $3 a week to track the user.
The Plaintiffs do not dispute that Google has a privacy policy, but that the privacy policy is misleading because it suggests that users who browse in “incognito mode” can control what they share with Google.
How Can You Browse More Securely?
If you are looking to browse more securely, there are ways you can protect your privacy that don’t involve using a Google “incognito mode” or other private browser. These tips can help you to regain more control over the data you share online.
Install Malware Protection Software
One way that companies and hackers get your data is by using malware to steal that data. Anti-malware will protect you against malicious software that may be attached to emails, links, downloads, and websites.
When you click on links embedded with malicious software, they download onto your device and can send your personal data to third parties, but malware protection is programmed to detect and warn you before you click that a link or attachment may be unsafe.
Practice Internet Safety
Another way to keep your private data safe is by having good internet and email practices. Don’t click links on emails from unknown senders. Always make sure that attachments are safe before opening them.
Delete spam emails and avoid sites that are not certified. This will help you to keep your device safe. Don’t share passwords or login information on social media, and use secure passwords with characters, numbers, and symbols.
Another way to increase your internet security is to log out of accounts, especially if you share a computer with another person. If you keep them logged in, people sharing the computer could easily go into your accounts and steal your personal information.
Also, routinely clear your browsing cookies history. Be sure to read the privacy policy for browser extensions and apps you use. You can also customize your data share settings on many apps and programs to protect your data better.
Use a TOR Browser
Tor browsers are one way to make yourself anonymous online. They use onion routing to take your internet traffic through several servers, then the browser encrypts your data at each step of the way.
These layers of encryption help to keep your data safe and your browser anonymous. You can even pair a TOR browser with a VPN, but the additional encryption layers often slow down connection speeds.
Get a VPN
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are a way to keep yourself anonymous while surfing the internet. A VPN works by masking your IP Address so that companies and hackers can’t figure out where you are located or other identifiable information.
In addition, all your data is encrypted during transit while in the VPN tunnel. Essentially, you connect to your VPN and then request to go to a website. Since you are connected to a VPN server that is in a different location and shared by several users, your IP address is masked once you get to the website.
Even if the website tracks your data, it won’t be able to connect that information to you. Several VPN services out there can help you search online more securely.
How Sekur Can Help Keep Your Browsing History Secret
Instead of relying on Big Tech companies to keep your information secure and private, invest in Sekur, we offer Swiss-hosted email, VPN, and instant messaging with end-to-end encryption. We don’t data mine so you can feel secure that your browsing history is safe with us.
Our SekurVPN protects not only your data but also your IP Address from companies that are tracking you. We use our proprietary HeliX technology that creates a 2048-bit encrypted tunnel to keep your personal communications safe.
Our email protects your most confidential messages. You can send and receive emails in our Sekur network. Plus, you can monitor email activity, migrate from your existing email easily, and send unlimited-sized attachments.
Sekur Instant Messaging also offers self-destructing chats, to make sure your private conversations stay private. There is no hidden storage or data mining, and your address book is private and secure.
With Sekur you can regain your privacy and avoid the problems you get with Big Tech companies like Google.
Conclusion
Although the Google ‘Incognito Mode’ Lawsuit is still underway, the results of this court case could have lasting implications for a company’s ability to sell and use personal data. If you are looking for a more secure way to browse and want to avoid private browsers, there are other options such as using a VPN.
Encryption is your best protection against prying eyes whether you are surfing the internet, sending emails, or instant messaging a client or friend. You deserve privacy.
