What doesn’t incognito mode protect against?

Incognito windows (called Private Browsing in Firefox) are a great feature of modern browsers that will help you avoid some low-level tracking techniques. However, they are not an anonymity tool.
Among many other techniques, websites can use cookies to track your browsing history, which may also reveal your online habits.
What doesn’t incognito mode protect against?

Beyond the use of cookies, you may be tracked throughDNS records or by your system administrator. An incognito window will help against some threats but is useless against others.
How incognito mode works
The incognito window or private browser will open a new window that behaves like a freshly installed browser on a new computer. There are no cookies, no bookmarks, no saved searches, and no pre-filled forms. Every time you close the incognito window, all the information the browser collected will be deleted.
This, unfortunately, does not stop others from collecting information about you.
Incognito mode will prevent cookies from identifying you
When you visit a website, embedded scripts will place a small file called a cookie on your computer. This cookie can, when you visit the site again, be read by the site and used to identify you.
This can be useful, as it allows you to stay logged in even after your computer is rebooted, and quickly lets you share news on any social media accounts.
However, cookies also let social media companies (and the NSA) track you across sites. For example, social media sites let news organizations embed snippets of code that show how often an article has been shared.
These snippets also feed back information about which sites you’ve visited, and which articles you’ve been reading. This gathered data can be used to feed you targeted advertisements or identify your religious, political, or sexual preferences.
How to stop cookies tracking you
1.    Disable third-party cookies and consider deleting cookies every time you restart your browser
2.    Install Privacy Badger to see which cookies a site uses, then block them where appropriate
3.    Use an incognito window to open sites and articles that you do not wish to be connected to your regular browsing or purchasing habits
incognito settings

Incognito mode will help protect against browser fingerprinting
Cookies are still the number one method for collecting information online, but browserfingerprinting has become increasingly popular.
With browser fingerprinting, the website you visit will gather information about your browser, the fonts you have installed, and the add-ons or browser extensions you use. This information could be enough to detect you, even if you’re careful about your privacy.
Browser fingerprinting is more of a probability score than an exact match for who’s who on the internet, but it does work and is hard to defend against. Check out EFF’s Panopticlick to see what browser fingerprinting looks like in action.
How to limit the effectiveness of browser fingerprinting
1.    To avoid fingerprinting, run a popular browser that uses no default fonts or extensions, like the Tor Browser
2.    Be careful with extensions, as some extensions are detectable by the sites you visit. The ExpressVPN Chrome Extension is safe to use even in incognito mode.
Incognito mode will stop family members snooping on your computer
If somebody else, like a family member or flatmate, has access to your computer, an incognito window can help you hide certain activity (like buying a birthday present) from them. In fact, it is probably a much better option than deleting your history altogether, which might raise unnecessary suspicion.
Incognito mode won’t stop people tracking you with your DNS records
Every time you visit a website, like ExpressVPN.com, your browser will have to obtain the site’s IP address. The browser will ask a DNS server “what is the IP address of expressvpn.com.” The DNS server then responds with the correct answer, allowing you to connect to the ExpressVPN website.
However, the DNS server may record your queries and sell them to advertisers or pass them on to law enforcement.
By default, your DNS service is supplied by your Internet Service Provider, but it can be changed to one maintained byGoogle. There are also free DNS services that promise not to pass on your information, such as OpenNIC.
VPN providers like ExpressVPN also maintain their own DNS service, which comes included with a VPN subscription. ExpressVPN does not keep logs and does not pass on any information to advertisers.
Minimize the threat from DNS tracking:
Incognito mode won’t stop system administrators at work or school from tracking you
If you use public Wi-Fi or connect to your school or work network, the administrator can see every site you visit. For sites not encryptedwith HTTPS, they are even able to see the contents of the site and all information you exchange with it.
Incognito windows will not protect you from system admins.
Minimize the threat of system admins tracking you
1.    Use Tor or a VPN (or both) to hide your browsing habits from the network administrator.
Be careful if the computer you are using is not yours (such as a computer at school or work). The owner of these devices may have installed other tracking software that will collect information even if you use a VPN or Tor.
Great reasons to open an incognito window
·         Hide your browsing history from others using your computer
·         Hide browsing habits from advertisers
·         Avoid browser fingerprinting
Make use of the incognito window when it makes sense! It’s a great tool that will help you maintain control over your own data. Use the Tor Browser anda VPN connection to shield against intruders, and use your own devices whenever possible.


0 comments:

Post a Comment