Tuesday 30 October 2012

Tech Myth - Incognito mode makes you invisible

Some time back I wrote an article on how you can conceal your web-browsing tracks by using the private browsing mode which is now built in to the three most popular browsers available on your personal computer namely Inprivate browsing on Microsoft Internet Explorer, Incognito on Google Chrome and Private browsing on Mozilla Firefox.

Since then several persons have approached me wanting to know if these modes will really "hide them" while they surf the Internet.  Simple answer, YES and NO.

While these modes WILL erase your browsing tracks or where you've been online from your local computer's hard drive, it does not make you invisible or anonymous.  They simply ensure that the usual histories and cookies that are normally stored on your local computer are erased after each session, your browsing tracks/history is still logged or recorded by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), by your work network administrator and/or the government (in some cases).

The bottom line is this, somebody will always be able to tell where you've been on the Internet so wherever you do decide to go while online it makes sense to keep that in mind.

NB:  You definitely will want to ensure that your protection software is up to scratch to protect from being spied on remotely via spyware software.

5 comments:

  1. How can i modify the Google Play Store to remove or mask country restrictions? I had full access upon receiving the device now am blocked sucks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What device are we talking about? And are you running a stock ROM or customized one?

      Delete
    2. finally got it to work, downloaded an app called "Viatun" which bypasses all restrictions.

      Delete
    3. Great. I've never heard of that app so I will definitely be checking it out.

      Delete

Add comment here