Google Chrome’s Incognito mode is a quick way to privately surf the web without leaving a trace in your browser history. While it’s well known that our ISPs can still track our usage in Incognito, it is often believed that Google does not log this information at their end.
However, a class-action lawsuit against Google has now revealed that the company does track our usage even in Incognito mode. Google has also quietly changed the page description of its incognito mode, which raises concern that private browsing may not be that private.
Google has been facing a $5 billion legal battle since 2020, where a group of users alleged that the Chrome browser continues to track data in Incognito, which was misleading on their end. Although, the company did not admit to it in court, Google finally settled the matter by paying the sum to the complainants.
It looked like Google wanted to close this chapter at its earliest, which is why it went ahead and paid $5 billion without any admission of guilt. But instead, the company is now taking measures to avoid any legal battles over the same in the near future.
In the latest version of Google Chrome for Windows, the page description of the incognito mode now reads – “Others who use this device won’t see your activity, so you can browse more privately. This won’t change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google“.
Here, the company is clearly admitting that Google can track some elements of your browsing usage even in Incognito mode. Instead of improving the privacy of this mode, the company has chosen to update its description by clarifying that its private mode is not actually as private as one may think.
As of now, we still don’t know the exact details which are tracked by Google in Incognito mode. But considering that the company is not trying to hide this anymore, it’s a good idea to switch to a different browser or search engine for a true private browsing experience.
