1. Browsing in Private Mode
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2. Where is this available?
Most Major Browsers
Google Chrome – Incognito Mode
Internet Explorer – In Private
Internet Edge – In Private
Safari – Private Window
Mozilla – Private Window
Available for phones, tablets and computers
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3. What does it do?
The browser refrains from storing much of the information it usually stores, like:
The site’s URL
Text that you have typed into forms
Cookies
Sites you have visited in the history file
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4. What does it not do?
Private browsing does not provide complete privacy.
Your internet service provider still knows where you browsed
The police can still know where you browsed
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5. Common Uses
When using computers that are not yours, ensures that none of your credentials will be saved
When buying a present for someone with whom you share a computer and you want to keep researching ordering of the present a secret
When searching for information that you don’t want stored in the cloud for privacy reasons:
Medical conditions
Search terms are strange, quirky or be misinterpreted
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6. Common Uses
To look like a fresh visitor, especially useful when reading newspaper articles where the paper has a counter on how many articles you can read per month
To book travel. If an airline sees you looking at a particular flight too often, they may start increasing the fare
To sign into multiple s on the fly with no set-up required
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7. Useful Tips about Private Browsing
With private browsing, on-line forms won’t access their auto- fill function so your and PASSWORD information is not vulnerable to hackers
Can speed up internet performance by blocking hidden trackers
If you download files or create bookmarks while in Private mode, these will be saved and you should consider if you want to keep those or delete them manually
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8. Misconceptions Sites you visit still see your IP address
DNS tracking still happens
Does not protect against
Malware
Viruses
Spyware
If you have installed parental monitoring software, it still functions, but it sees less information
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9. In Summary
Private browsing offers some distinct advantages in select situations
It does not provide as much privacy or protection as use of a VPN
VPN is the most user friendly and effective form of protection
Not all VPN are equal, some of the free services can leave you more vulnerable than having no VPN
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