Most current web browsers offer us the possibility of moving around the Internet through a conventional window, or with one in private mode. Many users use this second modality, although perhaps they do not really know its internal workings, since it is not as private as one might initially think.
A priori, one of the main objectives that this private mode of web browsers offers us is to hide the websites we visit. But with everything and with this, many think that, by opening a window of these characteristics, all their movements will be hidden. In reality, this is not the case, since the tracking continues, even if we are using private browsing in programs such as Google Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.
First of all, the first thing we must keep in mind is what private browsing really hides. When we open a window of these characteristics, the program stops storing the websites we visit. It also prevents the creation or modification of cookies, since these elements are usually linked to the online activity of a specific user. Therefore, it is easy to imagine that this navigation mode will be very useful when we use a PC that is not our own so as not to leave a trace.
Additionally, sometimes this browsing mode also disables extensions, although this is generally optional. But when it comes to privacy, it’s like you use your browser as usual and then clear your history and cookies. Hence, below we are going to show you how to avoid tracking and other agents when we browse in a private window.
Avoid tracking and tracing in private browsing
Here we are going to talk about some precautions that you can take to increase, as far as possible, privacy when browsing in an incognito window. This is something that can be extended to all current web browsers.
Do not register on websites. In the event that we are using a computer that is not ours and we do not want to leave any trace, it is best not to carry out any registration or registration task. All of this despite the fact that we are using an incognito window, since the traffic leaving the PC remains public just like in a normal window.
Use a VPN. Many think that, by opening an incognito mode window in their browser, the websites we visit no longer locate or track us. That is a mistake, since both our Internet operator and the websites we visit continue to track and follow our movements. To avoid all this, the best thing we can do is use a VPN or virtual private network. In this way we do trick remote websites into believing that we are connecting from servers located in other regions.
Disable extensions. We have mentioned before that many of the current web browsers allow us to optionally use extensions in a private window, or not. Well, in most cases it will be advisable that we see this feature here and thus avoid browser extensions that can carry out spying and tracking tasks. Although it is not common, deactivating these add-ons that we mentioned will help us improve the use of the program’s private mode.