"incognito mode makes you anonymous"

lore

privacyweb dev

Private browsing deletes local history and cookies when the window closes - nothing more. Websites, employers, and providers see you exactly as before.

Chrome's own Incognito splash text lists these limits; a US class action over Incognito-mode tracking ended with Google agreeing in 2024 to destroy billions of collected records.

Disputed / commonly mistold A popular version of this story is inaccurate - see the note above.

Also known as: private browsing myth

Sources

Google Chrome Incognito mode disclosure text
Brown v. Google settlement, N.D. Cal. (2024)

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