What browsing does and doesn’t do in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge

The private browsing mode of browsers is largely unknown among users, not because they are not aware of its existence, but because it is surrounded by misconceptions due to which they are not clear about its purpose.

private browsing Present in browsers such as Firefox and Safari, also known as Incognito in Chrome and InPrivate in Edge, creates a browsing session that does not save the history of web pages viewed on the device being used, so that other people Which cannot be accessed. Will be able to know his activity.

That is, “it helps hide online activity from other users using the same computer,” but it does not make the user “invisible,” as Mozilla warns on its help page. This nuance highlights one of the main misconceptions users have about this mode: that it hides navigation and prevents tracking.

However, like a standard browsing session, private mode allows the websites visited, work or educational centers the user visits, and Internet service providers to track your activity.

What does it do to remove ‘cookies‘From third parties who personalize the experience, cache data from websites visited and information you enter into online forms. And if the user downloads a file, it will remain on the computer, although it will not appear in the download history.

Extensions that users have installed on their browser to enhance its functions can be used during private browsing if they have permission enabled to do so. Of course, if you choose to allow its use, you have to keep in mind that they can access the browsing history and save it.

Even private mode doesn’t stop websites Request the user’s location, as this is information that depends on the configuration the user has installed in the browser. And it does not protect against malware, which can be installed on computers or smartphones.

Precisely, a 2018 study conducted by researchers at the Universities of Chicago (United States) and Hanover (Germany) highlighted that it can be found in the perceptions users have about private browsing modes. Common is that it blocks geolocation, ads. Viruses and tracking of both visited websites and Internet providers.

And these misconceptions are usually related to the meaning that users give to the term privacy with the type of navigation.

false beliefs And the lack of clarity in the explanation led Chrome users to report to Google to clearly identify that it allows activity tracking with Incognito mode in use.

As a result of a settlement reached between the parties in December, Google is preparing an update to the information shown in the Incognito Mode disclaimer to clarify data collection.