In the current world of continuous Internet connectivity, tracking, constant surveillance and free social media apps that are making boatloads of money by selling their users data, the question of privacy on the Internet begs for an answer.
Most popular browsers offer a private mode. Even so, we can’t say for sure that we are browsing the Internet privately.
What is Private Browsing?
Private browsing is an Internet surfing technical term that refers to the ability to visit websites without retaining a history on your computer. Normally, when you are on the Internet, all the websites that you visit can then be viewed later in the browser’s history page. Private browsing prevents this from happening.
Different browsers refer to this term differently – different names include “stealth mode,” “incognito,” or plainly, private browsing.
How Does It Work?
Private browsing is especially beneficial to people who access the Internet on shared computers. When browsing the Internet, various plugins and software keep a record of every website visited. Advertisers then use this data to target users = for the specific products or information they may be interested in.
On private mode, however, in addition to the lack of history, cookies that save your Internet searches and visits are absent. Without cookies, your Internet browsing sessions are not saved and thus subsequent users of your computer cannot access your searches.
Is Private Browsing Really Private?
The simple answer to this question is no.
Google Chrome warns its users that though they are browsing Incognito, their web visits may still be visible to third parties, such as their Internet Service Provider, the government, and the owners of the network. In addition, hackers can easily track you on the Internet and acquire your private information despite browsing privately.
While your history is not saved onto your local computer, your IP address – the unique identifier of your computer on the Internet – is still visible even on private browsing mode. As a result, all the above can happen.
How Can We Browse Privately?
For most people, the most common method to browse privately and safely without a chance of being tracked is to use a non-tracking browser.
Duck Duck Go is the leading web browser that does not serve targeted ads to its users. As a result, it does not need to track its user’s website visits. It has set itself apart from other browsers with the impressive delivery of privacy in online sessions.
Secondly, using a Virtual Private Network or VPN is another common way to hide behavior online. A VPN masks your IP address making it difficult for the websites you visit to identify or track your browsing sessions.
Conclusion
Private browsing is an important precaution to take while browsing. However, it does not offer the complete privacy that most users are looking for.
