The main Internet browsers have a privacy function that allows you to create an isolated temporary session. For that you have to activate or put the incognito mode, also called "private mode" or "blind page". When the user browses using this mode, the browsing history is not saved, while the local data associated with this isolated session is automatically deleted at the end of it.
The raison d'être of the incognito mode is none other than that of preserve user privacy, especially on shared equipment, such as an office computer, which is sometimes used by different people. Thus, the data and history of the session are prevented from being consulted by third parties.
But be careful: it is a mistake to think that using the incognito mode we are going to achieve total anonymity. We will not be safe from being tracked by other websites or by our Internet service provider. It is important to know this because there are those who can confuse the concept of privacy with that of impunity. So be very careful with that false sense of security. If incognito mode is used to commit Internet abuse or crime, our IP will be located by the police.
On the other hand, there are extensions and programs specifically designed to detect the presence of private browsing modes that can also expose us.
Let's see next how to put incognito mode on a computer or on a mobile device depending on the browser we are using:
In Google Chrome
There are two ways to access incognito mode in Chrome: from your computer and from an Android phone. Upon entering it, the background of the screen will change to black and the well-known icon of the glasses and hat will appear (the classic look of the spy).
On a pc
- First, we open the Chrome browser.
- Then we go to three point icon which is in the upper right part of the screen.
- There, among the options that are displayed, we select "New incognito window".
Chrome's incognito mode can also be accessed with the following keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + N.
It should be mentioned that there is a method to create a Windows 10 desktop shortcut through which you can directly access the incognito mode. How to enable it is explained in detail in the following link:
On Android
- From our phone or tablet, We open the Chrome application.
- Next we go to the right of the address bar, where we press "Plus".
- In the options that appear, we select the one of "New incognito tab".
In Firefox
Incognito mode is called “private browsing mode” in Firefox, although it is basically the same. These are the steps to follow:
- First we click on the menu button displayed next to the search bar.
- Among the options that open, we select «New private window».
We will know that we are in private mode because the icon of a white and purple mask will be displayed at the end of the window. There is also a keyboard shortcut to open private browsing in Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P.
at edge
In this browser there is a peculiar private browsing mode called InEdge. This browsing option deletes your browsing history, cookies, and site data. Also passwords, addresses and other data. There are three ways to access InEdge:
- We select and hold down with the right mouse button on the Microsoft Edge icon that appears in the taskbar. Then we select the option "New InPrivate Window".
- Another way to do this is to right-click and hold on a link and then select “Open link in InPrivate window”.
- The third way to access Edge's incognito mode is to go to the settings menu. Configurationclick on the option "More" and from there select "New InPrivate Window".
Private browsing and anonymous browsing
Now that we know how incognito mode is activated in the main internet browsers used in Windows, we must insist on explaining the difference between private browsing and anonymous browsing, two concepts that are often confused, giving rise to somewhat delicate situations.
La private browsing, which is the one we are dealing with in this post, has as its main characteristic the possibility that web browsers do not store information about the sites we visit. Consequently, our privacy is safe, since our internet trail is not recorded, nor are cookies recorded.
Moreover, the anonymous browsing (which we are not going to achieve using incognito mode) prevents online tracking of our movements, both by governments and administrations and by cybercriminals. The anonymous connection means being able to hide our personal data, keeping our identity safe under an anonymous IP.