The Incognito Mode Myth Has Fully Unraveled
The Incognito Mode Myth Has Fully Unraveled
To settle a years-long lawsuit, Google has agreed to delete “billions of data records” collected from users of “Incognito mode,” illuminating the pitfalls of relying on Chrome to protect your privacy.
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Pretty sure it's always been upfront with that it still tracks you? I always thought of it as a "don't store history and cookies locally" thing and nothing more. Maybe I read that disclaimer with more cynicism than most?
Yeah, it has always been the “don’t log my porn activity” mode. I don’t understand how so many people misinterpret it as some kind of privacy protection mode.
Yeah, it has always been the “don’t log my porn activity” mode. I don’t understand how so many people misinterpret it as some kind of privacy protection mode.
Well, also the “log into your accounts on someone else’s machine without storing the account in the browser” mode. Or the “shop for your partner’s gifts without leaving a trail” mode. But yeah, primarily for porn.
But yeah, primarily for porn.
Yeah I feel the same way.
I admit that I know quite a bit about computers and such but I thought everyone knew private mode isn't intended to stop any tracking.
Pretty sure some browsers by default enable extra tracking protections when in private mode but that's just an extra feature.
Yeah, most websites do fingerprinting. I doubt Firefox is immune to it either. In fact, it probably makes it worse since there's so few people using it.
https://amiunique.org/fingerprint shows me as being unique in both browsers, and that's without even taking into account IP address which narrows you down to people on your connection anyway. Only a VPN will hide that.
They don't need cookies to track your visits. Yet apparently they still need to ask if you want to share data with 2184 trusted data partners every time you visit without them, so maybe they can pack that the fuck in.
I visited that site and rejected the cookies
I am now untraceable on the Internet
it's always been upfront
The language it uses/used to use was rather ambiguous, especially for less tech savvy people.
Perhaps it wasn't false, but it definitely wasn't upfront.
What about it is ambiguous or not written for less tech savvy people?
You do know they updated it soon after this became a major thing, right?
That linked picture is at least from 2017 from a quick research. What they clarify now in the latest update is that Google is not exempt from tracking your activity.
I don't know that actually. I recall similar wording going back to when Incognito tabs were launched.
Got a source on that?
Google quietly updates Chrome’s incognito warning in wake of tracking lawsuit
[...]
Here’s the updated text (emphasis added):
“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.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/16/24039883/google-incognito-mode-tracking-lawsuit-notice-change
The text in that article is different from your screenshot, I don't know what's up with that. Perhaps it's regional.
I believe the one I posted is older, based on the logo.
So looks like they've updated multiple times, each more reader-friendly than the last...
They might have changed the wording, but it's been insanely clear for many years, and it never at any point implied it changed anything about what websites did.
You and I may have known, but
it's been insanely clear for many years
If it had been clear it wouldn't have become an issue.
It isn't an issue. The exact wording might have changed, but the content has been identical for years and years. It included "sites and others who can see your traffic can do whatever the hell they want" the whole time, in entirely unambiguous idiot proof language.
This is an imaginary horseshit lawsuit. It was not possible to read the very obvious text and be misled about what incognito mode did or didn't do at any point, and it was automatically displayed in every tab. There was never at any point any possible room for confusion.
It is implied that google is not storing any tracking information...
Not really...
If your employer, your ISP, and the websites you visit can see your browsing history, why is the implication that Google isn't storing tracking info?
“Always”? Nope.
“If you’re concerned, for whatever reason, you do not wish to be tracked by federal and state authorities, my strong recommendation is to use [Google Chrome’s] incognito mode.”
- Eric Schmidt, 2014