Google Chrome, Safari, or Mozilla Firefox: Most Internet browsers have a private browsing mode. Often illustrated by the appearance of a darker window, this mode prevents your Internet browser from storing, on your PC or smartphone, certain information related to your Internet activity in order to preserve your confidentiality.
Private browsing deletes your browsing history and does not allow your browser to save the cookies used to track your passwords, as well as the information entered in the online forms of the consulted sites. Specifically, the moment you close your private browsing window, your web browser forgets that the session has taken place and deletes this data.
relative anonymity
As Google Chrome indicates in its private browsing window, the feature is useful for hiding your activity, especially if multiple people are using the same personal computer as you.
But, if it feels safe, this mode does not make you completely invisible. First of all, it does not delete downloaded files and also keeps users’ favorites. Also, the traces of your activities disappear only for your browser and the device you use. However, today, monitoring and data mining go much further, particularly via IP address.
The latter is associated with a device when you browse the Internet and remains visible to the sites you have visited and connected to. The same goes for your Internet Service Provider (ISP), your employer, or even schools, which may also be aware of your activities in the same way as the authorities.
Also, the feature does not protect against cyber-attacks (phishing, malware, etc.) and malicious software, and therefore requires the purchase of an antivirus. Apart from local use, private mode does not offer any guarantees.
Securing your connection
To avoid laissez-faire trop de traces de vos passages sur différents sites, it is advisable to use the sites that use the extension “HTTPS” (“HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure”), a connection mode that controls the communication between a computer and a Web page.
To hide your IP address and surf the Internet discreetly, it is also possible to use a VPN, a tool capable of encrypting data to make it unreadable by unauthorized persons. Finally, encrypted messaging services like Telegram or Signal are also great alternatives to further protect your privacy online.
Source: BFM TV
