Most people know how the internet works. That is, you search for something, you get results based on your search, you buy that product/service, or you find information that you were looking for. What many people don’t know is that the search queries are saved and stored. That allows companies to send you customized ads based on what you searched for in the past.
Because of this, many web browsers introduced incognito mode browsing to prevent unwanted ads from popping up and websites gathering your information. Using incognito mode is considered safe internet browsing, but is it really? Let’s go over the basics first.
What Is Incognito Mode Browsing?
If you’re not familiar with incognito mode browsing, you might think that it’s just a browser window without being logged in. You might wonder, Why would anyone need that?
Logging in is part of using a browser. But there are actually a number of reasons why people use incognito mode. One reason is that sometimes people don’t want their activity tracked, for example, on adult entertainment sites. For those who choose to log into their favorite porn site anonymously, getting caught by others who may be surfing through the same Wi-Fi network could happen easily, especially when Wi-Fi isn’t protected by a password or VPN service.
For those who decide to visit other sites like Facebook or Instagram from work but still want to make sure no one sees them doing so, access these services through incognito mode instead of through regular internet browsers.
How Does It Work?
While most people consider incognito mode as one of the best precautions for browsing porn, it may not be as secure as they think. Incognito mode browsing deletes browsing history, cookies, web tracking tools, and other information entered in forms from the device you’re using. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that no one will know that you visited the website.
You need to be aware of other ways sites can track you: your IP address and cookies are stored even while browsing in incognito mode. To limit what information Internet providers can collect about you, choose a VPN service. A VPN will reroute all of your traffic through its own secure server, preventing ISPs from monitoring what you do online. It’ll also hide your IP address and encrypt data sent back and forth to help keep hackers out of your system.
To protect yourself from online identity theft, using a VPN is essential even when you’re not browsing in incognito mode. Fortunately, there are many providers offering affordable services, and most offer lifetime or yearly plans for as little as $4 per month (with discounts for paying upfront).
Pros of Using Incognito Mode
First and foremost, the incognito mode offers relatively safe internet browsing. Porn sites do track their visitors, which is why people need to be careful even when using incognito mode. From who’s visiting (and from where) to what kind of porn you’re viewing and how long you’ve been on that site. It’s all kept in a database somewhere.
If a malicious hacker gets hold of it (not hard at all), they can use that data against you for anything from identity theft or blackmailing to spreading rumors about you or your loved ones. There are loads of possibilities for them abusing your personal information, so it’s better not to put yourself at risk in the first place by taking all the necessary precautions on browsing porn.
Here are some additional reasons why you may want to check out incognito mode instead of just regular browsing:
- Cookies are deleted after every session
- Full page cache is deleted after every session
- Clears history after every session
- Plugins get disabled
- Permanently disables auto-fill on login fields
Possible Problems With Using Incognito
When people visit porn sites, most of them use incognito mode because it allows them to surf websites anonymously. It is also commonly known that people use incognito browsing so that they can hide from their wives or from other family members who are using the same computers.
However, people need to be aware of some potential problems they might face because of using incognito mode. Namely, since these browsers have no cookies, data saved in your browsers such as passwords and auto-fill information may not be saved when you switch to normal browsing. As a result, you might need to enter your details repeatedly while using incognito mode, and other security measures would also have issues with cookies.
When your computer has some technical issues, you might need to contact an expert for help. Because of incognito mode, your history won’t have all details of your browsing and could even confuse tech support staff and make it harder for them to troubleshoot certain problems.
It is always better not to browse in incognito mode if you are having any browser-related problems so that you can find solutions easily. While using incognito mode has its own advantages, it also has some disadvantages as well. You need to be aware of these potential risks so that you can be safe when browsing in private and don’t face problems later on due to misinformation or wrong assumptions about what is safe online.
How You Can Make Browsing More Safe
The first tip to safe internet browsing is not to use your primary browser for browsing the internet. This way, when you do browse adult content, the trail will not be connected to your other internet activities.
The second tip is to clear your browsing history after each session. It’s even a good idea to clear out cookies regularly so that users don’t have their activity tracked. Otherwise, people can be easily identified just by tracking their activity in the same general area.
As always, it’s a good idea to cover yourself up with layers of security protection when you do visit any adult sites online. Consider using a VPN and avoid entering personal information about yourself online for privacy reasons too!
VPNs encrypt your data and effectively hide your location (even from ISPs). This makes it much harder for anyone trying to peek in on your activity, which is especially important when you’re dealing with adult content. If you do opt for a VPN provider, make sure they have good encryption standards because not all providers are created equal.
Any provider worth using will provide SSL or TLS encryption and support both PPTP and OpenVPN protocols at a minimum. These are considered industry-standard security features that give users some peace of mind that their data won’t be intercepted!
