For years, users have turned to Google Chrome’s Incognito mode under the impression that it offers a completely private browsing experience. However, Google has now made it clear that websites and other parties can still track you, even in Incognito mode.
According to Google, Incognito mode prevents your browsing history, cookies, and other data from being stored on your device. This keeps your online activities “private from other people who use your device,” but it does not cloak your internet traffic or stop data collection in any way.
This means the websites you visit, your internet service provider (ISP), network administrator (school or employer), Google, and other snooping parties can still see what you’re doing online. Google has updated the warning message in Chrome Canary browser’s “Incognito” mode to clarify that this data collection still occurs.
New Chrome Warning
Google’s more forthright warning in the Canary developer build (version 122.0.6251.0) of Chrome is a step towards greater transparency. Chrome Canary is a version of Google Chrome intended primarily for developers and early adopters, and it often includes features and updates that are not yet available in the stable release of Chrome.
The new warning — spotted by MSPowerUser on Tuesday — says: “You’ve gone Incognito. Others who use this device won’t see your activity, so you can browse more privately. This won’t change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google.”
This update can be seen on Chrome Canary developer builds (Nightly) across various platforms, including Windows and Android. It may take until next month before the full public (stable) version of Chrome gets the updated warning message.
This revelation comes after Google agreed to settle a multi-billion dollar lawsuit last month — filed in 2020 —accusing the company of violating users’ privacy even in Chrome’s Incognito mode. According to official documents, the tech giant has agreed to pay $5 billion.
How to Browse the Web Anonymously
Most modern browsers — like Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Google Chrome — have a “private browsing” or “incognito mode,” which ensures cookies or browsing history aren’t stored on your device.
Brave does this a bit differently than others with its “Forgetful Browsing” feature, which automatically clears cookies and storage data when you close a website, logs you out of accounts, and more.
But, contrary to what many believe, Incognito mode doesn’t make you anonymous online. For that, you need a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN cloaks your IP address and encrypts your internet traffic, ensuring that your online activities can’t be tracked back to you and your ISP or network admin can’t see what you’re doing online.
While we recommend using Incognito mode — to stop your browser from storing your history and cookies on your device — we recommend using a top-rated VPN, like NordVPN, for complete anonymity online.
Here’s how to set up NordVPN on your device:
- Visit the NordVPN official website.
- Choose a plan and set up your account.
- Install the NordVPN app on your device. NordVPN has apps for all major operating systems.
- Launch the installation file and follow the install wizard to set it up.
- Connect to a NordVPN server of your choice.
- You can now browse the web privately.
Note:
If you sign in to your online accounts (like Gmail, for example) while using a VPN, you won’t be anonymous anymore as Google and other websites can identify you.
We recommend using a privacy-friendly browser along with a VPN for complete privacy online. Interested in learning more about Incognito mode? Check out our comparison of Incognito vs. normal browsing mode.
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