Don’t Trust The Incognito Mode For Online Privacy. Do This Instead.

Even if you browse in Incognito mode, your data is being tracked.

For online privacy, if you've been trusting the incognito mode for browsing, think again. Google has been sued in California because it continues to track people's data even in the Chrome browser's incognito mode. Did that send a chill down your spine?

The name incognito has been etched in our minds in such a way that we instantly relate it to complete data privacy, that anything you do online via the Chrome browser will not be tracked, but now we know that it's not all true. Even with the Incognito mode turned on, the Chrome browser will still permit websites and Google's own services to collect data about your surfing habits during that session. Not just that, the default search browser that most of us use, Google, also continues to track our online behavior, linking everything to our IP address.

Was this offensive on Google's part? Technically speaking, the company never claimed otherwise. When the Californian court refused to dismiss the case, Google told Bloomberg, "Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the choice to browse the internist without the activity being saved to your browser or device. As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session."

Is There An Alternative To Chrome's Incognito Mode?

Vivaldi is a web browser that's built on the same Google Chrome engine and has all its extensions too, but with stronger privacy. Vivaldi's equivalent of the Incognito mode is their Private Window. The default search engine in Vivaldi is DuckDuckGo, the search engine that is known for not collecting any personal information about its users. Vivaldi also makes sure that it stops any trace of your web activity from being left behind on the computer. It minimizes whatever is stored on the disk other than relying on the computer's memory to store critical information, to ensure that there is not even the slightest trail of your activities being discovered later.

Talking about online privacy, Vivaldi has many privacy protections inbuilt. If you explore the Vivaldi settings, for example, under the privacy tab you will find the option to block the trackers and ads in any session. The search suggestion option, that tries to predict what you are searching for is also turned off by default for online privacy reasons. Unlike Google, Vivaldi does not store information like bookmarks or history. Even if you are using Vivaldi browsers on different devices, it will encrypt the information. This offers greater privacy.

There's Also A Way To Protect Your Privacy On Chrome

If you want to stick with Chrome as your default browser, this is what you can do. DNS over HTTPS will mask the websites you visit from your internet provider and anyone who is trying to track your information. To turn on this feature, go to Chrome's settings and search for DNS and find the secure DNS feature. Select a provider from the "with" dropdown window and ensure to select the option "with".

Firefox also has this feature in its settings.