We willingly give our most personal data so often to advertisers, Big Tech, scammers and everyone looking to make a dime off us. Want to take control back? Start with changing a few settings that make it easier for strangers and companies to pinpoint who you are in your Chrome browser.
While at it, take a minute and look at your Facebook account settings. Tap or click for three steps to limit or stop targeted ads.
Your browser offers Incognito or private mode. It’s not a privacy catch-all, but it can make a real difference.Â
Is Incognito mode private? Sort of …
While Incognito mode in any browser provides more privacy than if you’re not using it, it isn’t as private as we were led to believe.
When you surf the web incognito, your browser doesn’t save your browsing history, cookies, site data or information you enter in forms. However, it keeps any downloaded files or bookmarks created during the session.
Your internet service provider (ISP) can still see your activity, as can a school or employer providing your internet access or computer. Want to stop that? You need a VPN.
That leads us to the question, “Is Incognito mode even worth using?” Yes. Let’s look at three situations when it’s necessary.
1. Trying to keep gifts a surprise
When you shop online, your browser keeps tabs on what you’ve perused. Later, you’ll see ads on other sites that try to get you to come back to make the purchase — even if you’ve already bought the item.
You might not be the only person seeing those ads. If the person you’re buying the gift for uses your computer, tablet, or smartphone, they will see the same ads. They may also see them on their devices since you share an IP address.
Of course, these ads tip them to what you’re up to. That won’t happen if you shop in Incognito mode.
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2. Stopping the algorithm’s watchful eye
We all look up things that we don’t want to follow us around the web for years. Maybe you’re worried about an illness or need to look up a tutorial on doing a task around the house.
It’s annoying to see reminders of those searches everywhere, especially in your YouTube algorithm. You can avoid these suggestions by searching in Incognito mode.
You’ll notice that I said YouTube. Yes, Incognito mode isn’t just for your browser. You can search YouTube Incognito, too — but only from your phone. Here’s how:
- Open the YouTube app.Â
- Tap your profile picture in the top right of the screen, then tap Turn on Incognito.
This feature only works when you’re signed in. When browsing incognito, your watch history, searches and other activity won’t be saved to your profile.
Did you know there are hidden apps on your phone? No, I don’t mean creepy spyware. These are useful, handy little features you should know.
3. Separating your work and home life
Most of us have two versions of our online selves: Work and personal.Â
It’s a pain when you want to check your personal inbox, but you’re logged into your work account — especially if you use the same provider for both. Instead of using different browsers or signing in and out of your accounts, use Incognito mode.
Try signing into your work email using your browser like usual, then open an incognito window for your personal account. Easy.
PRO TIP: You can go further by setting up separate browser profiles for work and life. You can bookmark, change your settings or install extensions to make each profile more useful.
Tap or click here to do that in your favorite browser. We cover Chrome, Firefox and Edge. Sorry, Safari users, but Apple doesn’t offer this option.
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