How Secure is Incognito Mode?
Techquickie
·Techquickie
·2019-05-06
·
957 words · ~4 min read
0:00
Thanks for watching TechWiki. Click the subscribe button, then enable
0:03
notifications with the bell icon so you won't miss any future videos. So, we've
0:08
all been there. It's time to handle something sensitive, embarrassing, or
0:13
seedy, and you definitely don't want it
0:16
in your browser where your roommate, your boss, or your aunt Gertie might
0:20
stumble upon it. So, you fire up your browser's trusty incognito or private
0:25
mode, which promises to keep your activity secret from anyone else who
0:29
uses your computer or phone. But is it
0:32
that trusty? What exactly does incognito mode do? Well, here's the basic
0:37
principle of operation. Incognito mode works by keeping your history, the
0:41
browser cache that contains the contents of pages you visit, cookies that track
0:46
your activity, and form data that you enter only temporarily. The idea is that
0:52
once you're done with your session and you close your browser, this information
0:55
all gets deleted, making it invisible to the next person who uses the browser.
1:00
This makes it not only useful for keeping your browsing habits away from
1:04
prying eyes, but also for getting around
1:07
website features that might make using them irritating. Because it doesn't use
1:12
cookies from your main browsing session, you can use incognito mode to log into a
1:17
website under a different account, stop advertisers from snooping on what you're
1:21
looking at, and even get around website
1:24
payw walls on sites that use cookies to track how many articles you've viewed
1:30
before they start charging you. Newspaper websites are notorious for
1:34
this last one. However, you've probably seen the warnings that pop up in
1:38
incognito mode telling you your employer or internet service provider might still
1:43
be able to keep tabs on your online activity. Well, how would they do that?
1:48
Well, because incognito mode only affects what's being stored locally on
1:53
your computer, all of that traffic is
1:56
still being routed through the servers at your ISP and also perhaps your school
2:01
or office. so it can still be intercepted and tracked. You can learn
2:05
more about that right up here. So that means that if you really want to
2:09
anonymize your web traffic, you'll need to consider using a VPN as well,
2:14
possibly over a network like tour to further conceal your identity. Also
2:18
remember that just because a browser deletes the information about your
2:22
session, doesn't mean it will keep a determined snoop from finding out what
2:26
you've been up to. For example, features that can run in incognito mode, such as
2:31
browser extensions or Adobe Flash, can
2:34
still leave visible traces on your computer unless you make sure that those
2:38
are disabled as well. And browsers also
2:42
don't necessarily delete any data that you built up during an incognito session
2:47
securely. So, some of it could still be found with a software recovery program
2:52
or inside your PC's DNS cache, which
2:56
matches the URLs of the sites you visit to the IP addresses. So, you'll need to
3:01
make sure that you clear your DNS cache with this command if you're really
3:05
worried about privacy. Finally, things
3:08
that go wrong on your PC can also compromise the effectiveness of
3:12
incognito mode. Since many browsers delete the data from your incognito mode
3:17
session once you close your session, an unexpected error like a computer crash
3:22
could keep that data from being deleted normally. And then of course, any
3:27
malware or spying software like a key
3:30
logger could easily be keeping tabs on your incognito browsing if your PC is
3:35
infected. Now, we're not trying to scare you or make you think that private
3:40
browsing is useless. It's still a powerful tool and an easy quick layer of
3:44
security, but just like any tool, it
3:49
only works if you take the appropriate precautions. So, make sure that your
3:53
boss isn't standing over your shoulder while you're using incognito mode to
3:57
send out resumes. Speaking of employment, are you racing
4:02
against the clock as a freelancer? Well, it's challenging, but with the growth of
4:05
the internet, there's never been more opportunities for the self-employed, and
4:09
FreshBooks has got you covered. Their
4:13
cloud accounting software is designed for the way that you work. And it's much
4:17
more than just a simple and easy way to
4:21
send professionallook invoices. It helps you be more productive, more organized,
4:25
and get paid faster. It allows you to set up online payments with just a
4:30
couple of clicks. It allows you to take the entire experience with you on the go
4:34
with their fully featured iOS and Android apps. And it even lets you see
4:38
when your client has seen your invoice to put an end to the guessing games. And
4:42
FreshBooks is offering a 30-day unrestricted free trial to our viewers.
4:45
And to claim it, all you have to do is go to freshbooks.com/techquicky.
4:49
We'll have that linked below. And enter techquicky in the how did you hear about
4:53
us section. So, thanks for watching, guys. Like, dislike. Check out other
4:56
videos. Other videos, not channels. Oh, okay. Sorry. Sorry. Leave a comment with
5:01
video suggestions and don't forget to subscribe and follow and hit the bell
5:06
and hit your dog. Oh, don't hit your dog. Never hit your dog. That's the kind
5:10
of advice we give on this show. If you hit your dog, all it does is upset them.
5:15
They're hurt and they don't really understand why because they're just dogs. It's all about positive
5:19
reinforcement. Read a book. They'll teach you all about behavioral
5:23
conditioning.