What browsing does and doesn't do in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge

The private browsing mode of browsers is largely unknown among users, not because they don't know about its existence but because it is surrounded by misconceptions that lead them to be unclear about its purpose.

the private browsing Found in browsers like Firefox and Safari, also known as Incognito in Chrome and InPrivate in Edge, it creates a browsing session that does not save a history of web pages visited on the user's device, so that other people who access it cannot see their activity.

That is, it “helps hide online activity from other users using the same computer,” but it does not make the user “invisible,” as Mozilla warns on its help page. This nuance highlights one of the main misconceptions users have about this mode: that it hides navigation and prevents tracking.

However, as with a standard browsing session, private mode allows websites visited, the user's employment or education center attended, and ISPs to track your activity.

What it does is delete”biscuitFrom third parties that personalize the experience and cache data from websites visited and information you enter into online forms. If the user downloads a file, it will remain on the computer even though it will not appear in the download history.

Extensions that a user has installed in their browser can be used to extend its functionality while private browsing if they have permission enabled to do so. Naturally, if you choose to allow its use, you should keep in mind that they access your browsing history and can save it.

Private mode also does not prevent Websites Request the user's location, because it is information based on the configuration created by the user in the browser. It does not protect against malicious software that can be installed on your computer or smartphone.

Specifically, a study conducted by researchers from the University of Chicago (US) and the University of Hannover (Germany) in 2018 highlighted that among the beliefs that users have about private browsing mode, it is common to find that it blocks geolocation, ads, viruses and tracking both Websites visited and Internet service providers.

These misconceptions are usually related to the meaning that users give to the word privacy associated with the type of navigation.

the wrong bleives The lack of clarity in explanations prompted Chrome users to flag Google for openly admitting it was allowing activity tracking with incognito mode in use.

As a result of the agreement reached in December between the two parties, Google is preparing an update to the information it shows in its incognito mode disclaimer, to clarify the data collection process.