The Whole Truth About Incognito Mode: Do You Really Think Your Searches Are Invisible?

Incognito or “private” mode in modern web browsers is often mistakenly believed to make users invisible online.

Many people think they can do whatever they want in incognito mode and that everything disappears once they close the tab.

In reality, incognito mode only deletes local history, cookies, and session data from your device. When you close the window, everything you did in that session is automatically erased, so other users of the same device cannot see your activity. However, this also means that session data is not saved, so you’ll have to log in again to your accounts if you use them.

What Incognito Mode Doesn’t Do

There are several misconceptions about incognito mode. It does not hide your activity from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). All your requests still go through your ISP’s network, so they can see which websites you visit and even track unencrypted traffic. If you use corporate Wi-Fi, the network administrator can also see which pages you visit.

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Incognito mode also doesn’t stop websites from tracking you. Even though cookies are deleted, websites use “fingerprinting” — a technique that recognizes devices based on unique characteristics such as screen size, installed plugins, and resolution — allowing them to track you even in incognito mode.

Incognito mode also doesn’t hide your IP address, which acts like a passport for the digital world. If a website has blocked your IP, using incognito mode won’t help you access it. In 2023, Google paid 5 billion dollars in a class-action lawsuit for tracking users in Chrome’s incognito mode.

Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Incognito Mode

Incognito mode gives a false sense of privacy. Your ISP can still monitor your activity, and public Wi-Fi or network administrators can see which pages you visit. Incognito is useful only on shared devices when you don’t want the next person to see your activity.

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Better Alternatives for Real Privacy

If you want real anonymity and privacy protection, better options include:

- A VPN, which hides your IP address and encrypts all internet traffic

- Privacy-focused browsers like Tor, which block tracking and automatically delete history

- Private search engines like DuckDuckGo and Startpage, which don’t track users or store data

Incognito mode can be useful on shared devices, but for real privacy and anonymity online, you should use a VPN, private search engines, and privacy-focused browsers.