They may have given it a fancy name to attract you into thinking it is safe for you. The truth is, it is far from that when you are browsing. The only thing that happens when you switch to Google incognito in Chrome is a pause in local history collection. Apart from that, everything seems to be going on exactly as it was before. Or at least that is true for the part that matters i.e. activity monitoring. No, the popular meme on how an FBI agent is looking at you as you use your devices is false. However, there is an entity responsible for keeping an eye on your activity and that is Google’s own AI. Even when you are in Google incognito mode, the monitoring doesn’t stop and Google continues to collect all the data it wants on your activity.
A Different Use of Data
Of course, that does not mean you need to stop using Google applications. What you need to understand here is that Google is not like Facebook or Instagram. They do not want to sell your data to companies because they have a much bigger use for themselves. One of and probably THE biggest revenue streams for Google’s parent, Alphabet Inc., is their Google Ads platform. We are all familiar with how Google connects to every website on earth. All those sites use Google to advertise their products etc. through Google Ads. This allows Google to use your private information to identify if you would be a good target for a particular ad.
Incog-NOT-o
Whether you use a regular tab or go into Google incognito browsing, you will always see ads on websites from Google. The funny thing is, using Google incognito mode ends up providing more information about you then a regular window would. In addition to the regular usage information that Google collects, they will also check if it’s you browsing, or is it someone else like a guest or a friend. Your data will still go to Google like your location, IP and email. That is associated with whatever activity you do on your phone.
Trackers… Trackers Everywhere!
You must be wondering how Google keeps an eye on you, even when you are using Google incognito mode. The simple answer; tracking cookies. You must have seen websites post notices that they will be using cookies when you visit their site. These cookies are designed to get data about your activity. Among these cookies are Google’s trackers as well which keep recording your activity and build a complete profile on you.
The worst, however, is the tracking that you have allowed Google to do on apps like Google Maps. With that, they can create a timeline of where you were at any point. You may be worrying about incognito Google tracking but there is so much more happening that we don’t even know.
What’s the Solution?
While you could use protection software and continue using incognito Google browsing, nothing will change. However, you could start using a good VPN service like VPN Shazam’s Turbo Dynamic VPN and mask your online presence from such companies. That is probably the best place to start for now.
