Private Browsing Isn’t as Private as You Think It Is

You want to look something up that’s sensitive. Perhaps it’s, uh, a banking website or something where you want a little more privacy online. So you open a tab in your web browser, a “private browsing” tab, and breathe a brief sigh of relief.

But it doesn’t mask your identity online any better than regular, non-private browsing. It doesn’t beef up your privacy a lick, and it doesn’t do anything to keep hackers, cross-site trackers, major corporations, governments, or data snoops from finding out which websites you visit and what you do on those websites.

Every person, program, and website online? They can still see it all.

what it does and doesn’t do

“Private browsing” is horribly named. All it does is clear forms and cookies to prevent people who use the same computer from seeing your browsing history and download history, and from accessing the website accounts you logged into, once you close the browser window and get up from the computer.

As Mozilla, creator of the Firefox browser, says about private browsing, “It helps keep your online activity private from others who use Firefox on the same computer, but it won’t make you invisible online.”

It’s what you should use when you share a computer with someone or log in to a publicly shared computer, such as a library, or if you accidentally tumble into the 1990s when internet cafés were still a thing.

Use a VPN if you want to actually increase your online anonymity and privacy by masking your activity from other people and programs drifting around the web. Without one, every website you visit will know your unique IP address, which is tied to your internet account and instantly identifies you and your online activity.

Most reputable ones cost money (and are well worth it, in my opinion), but Proton VPN is the only free one I’d use. Download it if money is tight or if you want to dip a toe in the VPN waters before committing to using your credit card.

Rather than relying on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or even Apple Safari, shift your usage to a browser that prioritizes user privacy, such as Mozilla Firefox (and set Enhanced Tracking Protection to “strict” in the settings), Brave, Mullvad, or LibreWolf. All are free and reputable.

When it comes to iOS, Apple’s operating system for the iPhone, the browser selection becomes a bit more convoluted. Private browsing also operates a little differently in iOS’ native Safari browser app. That’s Apple for you.