What you should know
- Google Chrome’s Incognito mode does not prevent your browsing history or information entered into forms from being seen by others who have access to your device.
- Google is settling a class-action suit for $5 billion that accused the company of privacy violations related to Incognito mode. The company is now revising the disclaimer that appears when Incognito mode is used to clarify that personal data can still be collected by Google and others, even in Incognito mode.
- In the unstable Chrome Canary beta app, Google has made changes to the first paragraph of the Incognito mode disclaimer. The revised version admits that enabling Incognito mode doesn’t change how your data is collected by the sites you visit and by Google.
- Despite Incognito mode, users can still be tracked by websites or internet service providers. The revised disclaimer makes it clear that enabling Incognito mode doesn’t make you invisible to third-party trackers and Google.
Full Story
Google Chrome’s Incognito mode on your phone is a nifty feature. It means that your browsing history or any info you type into forms can’t be seen by anyone who has access to your device. So, if you’ve been sneaking around online to buy a gift for someone, those sites you visited remain your secret.
But there’s been a bit of a kerfuffle involving Google and this Incognito mode. Google is about to cough up $5 billion to settle a class-action suit. The suit accused Google of not playing fair with privacy.
Now, Google is doing a little housekeeping. They’re revising the disclaimer that pops up when you use Incognito mode on Chrome. This is so Android users, Windows users, and others can understand one crucial thing. Your personal data can still be collected by Google and others even when you’re browsing in Incognito mode.
The current warning doesn’t make it clear that Google and others can still collect your data while you’re in Incognito mode. And just because you’ve got Incognito mode enabled, doesn’t mean you can’t be tracked by websites or internet service providers.
According to MSPoweruser, Google has made some tweaks to the first paragraph of the disclaimer that appears when you enable Incognito mode. This was spotted in the unstable Chrome Canary beta app, which gets updated every night.
The current disclaimer starts with, “You’ve Gone Incognito. Now you can browse privately, and other people who use this device won’t see your activity. However, downloads, bookmarks, and reading list items will be saved.” The revised version found on Chrome Canary reads, “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. Downloads, bookmarks, and reading list items will be saved.”
Let’s look at the changes in the paragraph again. The current disclaimer says, “Now you can browse privately, and other people who use this device won’t see your activity. However, downloads, bookmarks and reading list items will be saved.” The revised version on Chrome Canary reads, “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. Downloads, bookmarks and reading list items will be saved.”
The revised disclaimer is basically saying that enabling Incognito mode won’t change how your data is collected by the sites you visit and by Google. That’s a pretty big admission. The current disclaimer doesn’t mention it, but the revised version makes it clear that enabling Incognito mode doesn’t make you invisible to third-party trackers and Google.
Had Google made this clear before, maybe they wouldn’t have had to settle that class-action suit for $5 billion. The suit accused Google of using analytics, cookies, and other tools to track browsing histories, device data, and the content of webpages visited even with Incognito Mode enabled. Now, Google is making it clear that this kind of activity takes place when Incognito mode is enabled.
To use Incognito mode, when you have the Chrome app open, tap on the three-dot icon (on Android) in the top right of the screen, or the profile icon (on iOS) on the right side of the search field and tap on New Incognito tab. From that point forward, use the Chrome browser like you usually would. When you’re done, just tap to disable the Incognito mode.
