Jan,
There are some reasons for why private browsing might be a wise precaution. In
general, it removes temporary files and cookies from your computer when you
finally close your browser. Here are some scenarios for why it might be a good
idea to use it.
1. You're using a public computer in a library or computer lab. Accessing Web
sites in private browsing mode means that, in general, the information you
accessed is not accessible to the next person who uses that machine. You may
have used it to log into Web sites such as Amazon, Gmail or Facebook. If you
performed these tasks and did not use private browsing mode, the next person
who opened these Web sites would see your email, social media news feed,
purchasing history, etc., because the computer still assumes that it's you
accessing the sites. Private browsing means that other users can't access this
information.
2. Similarly, the shared computer might be in your home, used by your spouse,
children or roommate. While each user should have his or her own separate user
account the fact is that you still might want to ensure that your roommate
can't access your email or the messages you've posted on Facebook. Along those
lines, if you're purchasing a gift for your spouse you might want to do that in
private browsing mode to prevent your spouse from being able to see what you've
bought.
3. In my browser when I open a site like Amazon.com it shows my account history
and, because of the cookies it leaves on my computer, Amazon assumes it's me
when I open it. However, my wife might want me to check something with her
account. Since I don't want to sign out as me in order to sign in as her I can
activate private browsing where I can sign in as her without interfering with
the cookies for my account.
4. You might have several accounts on a Web site like Google Docs, one being a
work account and another being a personal account, each account containing its
own files. Private browsing mode means you can log into different accounts
without needing to first sing out of one in order to open another.
5. Going back to using that public computer in the library private browsing
should remove autofill entries. In other words, many browsers save information
such as your user ID or password, making it easy for you to log into the same
Web site later on. This may be fine at home but you don't want the risk of
other users being able to see this information.
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist
WWW.David-Goldfield.Com<http://WWW.David-Goldfield.Com>
On 7/14/2018 4:21 PM, Jan Lattuca wrote:
Given all the things private mode doesn't protect one from, what's the
point of using private mode?
jan
On 7/13/18, David Goldfield
<dgoldfield1211@xxxxxxxxx><mailto:dgoldfield1211@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
For those who would like to try out private browsing mode, here are the
hotkeys to enable it.
Mozilla Firefox: shift-ctrl-P
Google Chrome: shift-ctrl-N
Internet Explorer: shift-ctrl-P
Microsoft Edge: shift-ctrl-P
From cnbc.com
There are a lot of misconceptions about browsing the web in 'incognito'
mode, researchers say
Todd Haselton
Browsing the web in incognito mode isn't as private as most people think.
Researchers with the University of Chicago and the Leibniz University of
Hanover recently published the results of a study that included 450
participants. It found that many participants thought "incognito mode"
or "private mode" in a web browser protected their online activity much
more than it does.
If you're unfamiliar with private or incognito mode, here's a bit of
background: typically, browsers suggest that using that option, which is
accessible through the menu bar on most modern web browsers, won't track
some of what you do online.
Google's Chrome web browser, for example, says that it doesn't save your
browsing history, cookies and site data or information entered into
forms. This doesn't mean that data — such as the websites you visit —
isn't available to your school, employer or internet provider. Google
warns as much when you start using incognito mode.
Despite this, lots of people seem to believe these options in web
browsers can do much more than they actually do.
Here are some of the misconceptions highlighted in the report:
• "46.5% of participants 'believed bookmarks saved in private mode would
not persist in later sessions,' when they actually do.
• "40.2% of participants thought websites would not be able to estimate
a user's location," while in private mode. You can make it harder to
estimate your location if you use a VPN.
• "27.1% of participants believed private mode offered more protection
against viruses and malware than standard [mode.]" This is a
misconception since any files you download and open on your computer
could still be infected with malware or viruses.
• "22.0%, 37.0%, and 22.6% of participants mistakenly believed that
ISPs, employers, and the government would be unable to track them when
they used private mode." If you're on someone's network, chances are
they can see what you're doing.
The study also suggests that 56.3% of participants incorrectly believed
that browsing in private mode would hide your search history, since
Google could still log a user's search and save a copy of that query
online, not necessarily on your computer. I tried to replicate this in
Chrome and found that a search for "How tall is Shaquille O'Neal?"
wasn't logged by Google or on my local computer.
"Using private browsing mode on Chrome and Firefox can leave behind
browser traces that could allow someone with access to the local machine
to infer browsing history, evidence that someone has used private
browsing, and more," one of the researchers, Panya Gupta, explained to
me. "As a caveat, correctly finding and analyzing these browser traces
to reconstruct browsing history would generally require a digital
forensics expert and access to the end user’s machine."
If anything, the research shows that there are a lot of misconceptions
about what's logged and what isn't when you're using incognito or
private mode on a browser. It's probably safe to assume that what you're
viewing online can be found or viewed by others, especially if you're on
a work or school network or downloading files.
--
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist
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