Surfing the internet anonymously? Here's what really happens in "Incognito" mode

A massive US lawsuit revealed that Chrome's 'Incognito' mode does not protect user privacy as claimed. The feature only deletes history and cookies from the local device, but internet providers, employers, and Google itself can continue to track activity in real time. Internal documents revealed that Google executives were aware of the gap.

A massive US lawsuit, known as the 'Brown v. Google' case, has concluded, revealing that Chrome's 'Incognito' mode does not protect user privacy as claimed. The feature only deletes browsing history and cookies from the local device, but while the window is open, the internet provider, employers, websites, and Google itself can continue to track activity. Internal documents revealed during the trial showed that Google's chief marketing officer warned CEO Sundar Pichai in 2019 that the mode should be made 'truly private', but the company chose not to change the name or icon to avoid harming advertising revenue. Advanced identification technologies like browser fingerprinting and Canvas Fingerprinting enable tracking even without cookies. The legal process ended with a settlement in which Google agreed to destroy billions of data records and update its disclosures to users.