Be careful when browsing in Google’s incognito mode

NEW YORK — Although a private browsing mode known as “Incognito” in Google’s widely used Chrome browser has been available for nearly a decade, a legal settlement involving the way it works has cast new attention on this commonly available setting.

The settlement, disclosed in federal court, is primarily designed to ensure that users who use Incognito mode in Chrome get more privacy while surfing the internet than they had been previously.

Although Google isn’t paying any money to consumers, the lawyers who filed the case in June 2020 believe the stricter safeguards will be worth $4.75 billion to $7.8 billion, based on the estimated value of the personal information protected.

Nearly every major browser now has a private browsing mode. When you turn on your browser’s private mode, think of it as a fresh start.

So all of the advantages of browser personalization won’t be there: No suggestions based on your history, autocomplete will be largely unavailable and you will have to sign into your accounts. As soon as you close your incognito window, your internet browser wipes the browsing history, your browser won’t remember where you’ve been or store any information you filled into any forms.

Incognito modes generally do not prevent the websites you visit from seeing your location, via your IP address, or stop your internet service provider from logging your activities. As long as your IP address is visible, your identity and activity remain fully exposed to search engines and third parties.