Google Incognito mode has long been believed to hide all that search history of Internet users — and, for the most part, it does… right? Well, just when you thought it was safe to go all rogue while looking at porn from your company laptop during a late-night work trip, you may want to start watching on your phone, because, as it turns out, Google Incognito might not be hiding everything you’re looking at online.
That’s according to a recent article from The Sun, which broke down a lot of different questions related to Google Incognito, identifying how the mode works on computers. While the information The Sun found was definitely helpful — like how to activate it and what it’s designed to do. However, that’s where things get a little dicey, because check out what the article found.
Apparently, what Google Incognito actually does might not be what you think it’s supposed to. For instance, The Sun piece said that, while the mode is useful — because it can stop an Internet users’ browser from saving info about their search activity online and won’t store new cookies, which are small computer files that allow websites track your activity on their page — Incognito isn’t a perfect system in hiding everything.
Unfortunately, while Google Incognito is designed to protect Internet users and their activity, it doesn’t always prove effective. That’s because, per The Sun report, the mode can still expose browsing habits to anyone who is sharing a WiFi connection, with spyware software available to dive deep into search history, whether incognito or not. Oh, and as for employers? Yep, they, too, can use similar technology to see what you’re looking at on a company computer — whether that be on the road during a business trip or in the office. So, don’t be so foolish.
That said, Google Incognito does, generally speaking, protect people from websites saving their data, as well as protect users from having passwords or secure information from being stored automatically on websites — which can help reduce the risk of fraud or a security breach.
Sure, Google Incognito is a basic way to keep yourself safe from the common folk who might be interested in finding out your Internet habits — like the nosy wife/girlfriend trying to track your history . But, because it doesn’t completely keep things on lockdown, and that there is a risk of getting busted even while in the mode, it’s important to avoid being the guy who thinks he’s in the clear, yet still gets a slap on the wrist from a girlfriend or employer.