Thanks for watching TechWiki. Click the subscribe button, then enable
notifications with the bell icon so you won't miss any future videos. So, we've
all been there. It's time to handle something sensitive, embarrassing, or
seedy, and you definitely don't want it
in your browser where your roommate, your boss, or your aunt Gertie might
stumble upon it. So, you fire up your browser's trusty incognito or private
mode, which promises to keep your activity secret from anyone else who
uses your computer or phone. But is it
that trusty? What exactly does incognito mode do? Well, here's the basic
principle of operation. Incognito mode works by keeping your history, the
browser cache that contains the contents of pages you visit, cookies that track
your activity, and form data that you enter only temporarily. The idea is that
once you're done with your session and you close your browser, this information
all gets deleted, making it invisible to the next person who uses the browser.
This makes it not only useful for keeping your browsing habits away from
prying eyes, but also for getting around
website features that might make using them irritating. Because it doesn't use
cookies from your main browsing session, you can use incognito mode to log into a
website under a different account, stop advertisers from snooping on what you're
looking at, and even get around website
payw walls on sites that use cookies to track how many articles you've viewed
before they start charging you. Newspaper websites are notorious for
this last one. However, you've probably seen the warnings that pop up in
incognito mode telling you your employer or internet service provider might still
be able to keep tabs on your online activity. Well, how would they do that?
Well, because incognito mode only affects what's being stored locally on
your computer, all of that traffic is
still being routed through the servers at your ISP and also perhaps your school
or office. so it can still be intercepted and tracked. You can learn
more about that right up here. So that means that if you really want to
anonymize your web traffic, you'll need to consider using a VPN as well,
possibly over a network like tour to further conceal your identity. Also
remember that just because a browser deletes the information about your
session, doesn't mean it will keep a determined snoop from finding out what
you've been up to. For example, features that can run in incognito mode, such as
browser extensions or Adobe Flash, can
still leave visible traces on your computer unless you make sure that those
are disabled as well. And browsers also
don't necessarily delete any data that you built up during an incognito session
securely. So, some of it could still be found with a software recovery program
or inside your PC's DNS cache, which
matches the URLs of the sites you visit to the IP addresses. So, you'll need to
make sure that you clear your DNS cache with this command if you're really
worried about privacy. Finally, things
that go wrong on your PC can also compromise the effectiveness of
incognito mode. Since many browsers delete the data from your incognito mode
session once you close your session, an unexpected error like a computer crash
could keep that data from being deleted normally. And then of course, any
malware or spying software like a key
logger could easily be keeping tabs on your incognito browsing if your PC is
infected. Now, we're not trying to scare you or make you think that private
browsing is useless. It's still a powerful tool and an easy quick layer of
security, but just like any tool, it
only works if you take the appropriate precautions. So, make sure that your
boss isn't standing over your shoulder while you're using incognito mode to
send out resumes. Speaking of employment, are you racing
against the clock as a freelancer? Well, it's challenging, but with the growth of
the internet, there's never been more opportunities for the self-employed, and
FreshBooks has got you covered. Their
cloud accounting software is designed for the way that you work. And it's much
more than just a simple and easy way to
send professionallook invoices. It helps you be more productive, more organized,
and get paid faster. It allows you to set up online payments with just a
couple of clicks. It allows you to take the entire experience with you on the go
with their fully featured iOS and Android apps. And it even lets you see
when your client has seen your invoice to put an end to the guessing games. And
FreshBooks is offering a 30-day unrestricted free trial to our viewers.
And to claim it, all you have to do is go to freshbooks.com/techquicky.
We'll have that linked below. And enter techquicky in the how did you hear about
us section. So, thanks for watching, guys. Like, dislike. Check out other
videos. Other videos, not channels. Oh, okay. Sorry. Sorry. Leave a comment with
video suggestions and don't forget to subscribe and follow and hit the bell
and hit your dog. Oh, don't hit your dog. Never hit your dog. That's the kind
of advice we give on this show. If you hit your dog, all it does is upset them.
They're hurt and they don't really understand why because they're just dogs. It's all about positive
reinforcement. Read a book. They'll teach you all about behavioral
conditioning.