It is believed that when you are in Incognito mode, your performed activities are not tracked by the other parties. However, recently it was found to be a wrong statement. Google itself collects and tracks the activities that users perform online even in Incognito mode. 

What is Incognito Mode?

Incognito mode is a type of private browsing that helps users to overcome their privacy concerns.  It basically erases temporary data that is captured by the PC or the device you’re using.

Following are some of the most recognizable browsers providing Incognito mode:

  • Google Chrome
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer and the Edge
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Apple Safari

Ways to Turn ON Incognito Mode

Going Incognito is not a difficult task at all.  Users can simply use this by holding some keys on their Keyboard.

Chrome: Press Control + Shift + N in Windows

 And, Command + Shift + N for Mac.

Internet Explorer: Press Control + Shift + P. 

Firefox: Press Control + Shift + N. 

Safari: Press Control symbol + Shift + N.

What happened in the case of Google?

A year back, some of the Google users claimed that Google collects the data and records the browser history of the users even in Incognito mode. As one goes Incognito so no one can track their activities in any way. Thus when the users found out this, they were not happy and filed complaints against Google. 

The Response of Google

The complaints and criticism by users were taken very seriously by Google as it was damaging their overall reputation. According to Google:

‘Incognito’ does not mean ‘invisible,’

 Also,  the user’s activity during the session may be visible to websites they visit, and any third-party analytics or ad services the visited websites use. 

The Final Decision Made

Considering the points from both sides: Google and the users, it was decided that Google must pay some penalty. The reason for this is simple. Google has not informed its users about this thus, somehow breaks the trust of its users. Hence, Google was fined an amount of around 5000 US Dollars due to this act. 

Paying this amount might not be a big challenge for Google, but this issue was highlighted all over the world. As a result, Google faced a lot of criticism in many countries.