Google is changing the Incognito Mode warning in its Chrome web browser to make it clearer that Google and other companies' websites can continue to collect your data in the web browser's semi-private mode. This change comes as Google prepares to settle a class action lawsuit over privacy violations related to Chrome's Incognito Mode. In December 2023, the company agreed to an out-of-court settlement to end a $5 billion dispute over incognito tracking.
The class action lawsuit accuses Google of tracking Chrome users across Google and third-party websites, even when incognito mode is enabled.
Google denied the allegations and argued that incognito mode was not intended to prevent online tracking, but rather simply to prevent data from being stored on the user's device. Google also claimed that users were sufficiently informed about the limitations of Incognito Mode and that they could use other tools to control their privacy, such as content blockers or Chrome settings.
The settlement, which still needs to be approved by the court, requires Google to commit to changes to its Incognito Mode warning. Google must also provide additional information about Incognito Mode on its website and in its advertising campaigns. That's why Google decided to add a Chrome Canary warning, a nightly version of its browser for developers.
Google operates some of the world's most important websites, but they pale in comparison to the company's access to data from non-Google sites. Google ads and analytics are widely used on the Internet. DuckDuckGo estimates that Google has access to 93 out of 100 websites people visit on the Internet.
Many savvy people already know that while web browser private mode prevents certain data from being stored on your device, it does not prevent tracking by websites or ISPs. On the other hand, many other people aren't sure what “Incognito” mode does, so this more specific warning might help raise awareness.
What change has Google made?
Incognito Mode is a feature in Chrome that allows users to browse the web without their browsing history, cookies, website data, or information entered into forms being stored on their device. This can be useful to prevent others using the same device from seeing your online activity.
However, incognito mode does not make you invisible on the internet. Your activity may still be visible to the websites you visit, your employer, your school, or your internet service provider. Additionally, downloads, bookmarks and playlist items are backed up.
Here is the relevant part of the old statement:
You can now browse privately. Other users of this device cannot see your activity. However, downloads, favorites and playlist items are saved
The new warning says this: You can browse more privately because other users of this device will not see your activity. This does not change the way websites and the services they use, including Google, collect data. Downloads, favorites and playlist items are saved
Essentially, Google is clarifying what Incognito Mode does and doesn't do for user privacy. Users using the same browser on the device and the same user account will not see activity that occurs in incognito mode. The second sentence of the new warning acknowledges that Google and other sites can still see the activity and track users based on it, even in incognito mode. Ads and trackers collect data and communicate with company servers. This data is not blocked by Incognito Mode.
You can start Incognito mode by selecting Menu (three dots) > New Incognito Window or using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Shift-N on desktop systems.
The new warning was not present in the developer, beta, and stable branches of Chrome until today. It wasn't in chrome either.
What are the implications for users?
Google's change to its incognito mode warning could help educate users about how their data is collected and used online, even when they use a supposedly private mode. Many people may not understand exactly what Incognito Mode does, and the new warning may give them a better idea of the potential risks to their privacy.
However, the change does not solve the problem of online tracking by Google and other websites. Incognito mode is not enough to protect users' privacy online. Users who want to reduce online tracking should use other tools such as content blockers, privacy extensions, VPNs, or alternative browsers that are more privacy-friendly.
Google's solution to protect privacy: replace third-party cookies with APIs
Third-party cookies have been proven to be harmful to privacy. Therefore, Google, motivated by its competitors who already block third-party cookies by default, and regulators, has prepared a set of APIs (application programming interfaces) that are part of its Privacy Sandbox initiative. These APIs are intended to provide advertisers with alternative ways to target users without collecting or sharing their personal information.
Google plans to remove third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users in the first quarter of 2024, or about 30 million users, as Chrome dominates the web browser market with more than 3 billion users. This removal allows developers to test the performance and effectiveness of their products in a real-world environment without cookies. The full removal of third-party cookies in Chrome is scheduled for the second half of 2024. According to Google, this measure aims to strengthen user privacy protection while preserving the online advertising ecosystem.
One of the APIs offered by Privacy Sandbox is Protected Audience. Here is a simplified version of how it works:
When a user navigates to a website that has implemented audience-protected scripts, these scripts can run and associate the user's browser with different interest groups (belonging to a specific ad seller or platform and demand). These groups can be informed via the associated Topics API, but they exist separately.
For example, visiting a website about cycling can result in the user's browser being added to the cycling interest group. For data protection reasons, this designation exists locally on the client and not on the server.
Remarketing takes place on another website. Protected audience scripts can run an in-browser ad auction that includes locally stored information of interest (this user likes bikes), and advertisers who want to reach people interested in bikes can bid to display an ad that relates to the user.
The announcement of the winner of the auction would then take place in one
Source: Google
And you ?
What do you think about Google's change in warning about incognito mode?
Are you using Chrome's incognito mode? If yes why? If not, why not?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Chrome Incognito mode for your privacy?
What other tools or browsers do you use to protect your privacy online?
Do you trust Google to respect your privacy? Why or why not ?