It is probably not our knowledge that When we browse the web, we leave digital footprints. inserted in cookies, cache and history, which undoubtedly poses some risk and disadvantages for users.
If we're going to make a purchase with our credit card or our PayPal account, we'll definitely be able to. We absolutely do not want this information to be compromised in any way. You probably also don't want your passwords to be recorded when using a computer that isn't yours, or you simply don't want your searches to be reflected in the browser history.
Whatever the case may be, There is a very practical solution for this, and it's called private browsing. Something that most popular browsers allow and include in their functionality. Below we'll show you what private browsing is, what purposes we can use it for, and How can we activate the function in the most common browsers?which will be very useful when you need to browse the internet while wanting to keep your data private.
What is private browsing?
private browsing It focuses on maintaining the protection of user privacy and security, making sure not to store history, cookies and cache so as not to leave a trace while browsing.
Safari, Apple's browser, was the first to incorporate a private browsing feature. even though it might go unnoticed. Nowadays, the most widely used browsers worldwide have the ability to browse in private or incognito mode among their features.
Advantages
It differs from regular browsing because it gives the user the possibility of browsing anonymously to a certain extent. The information that private browsing mode usually hides is cookies. (disappear after the window is closed), the history of pages visited during the session and form data applicable to the autocomplete functionIt also prevents the storage of cache, passwords, and download lists.
Disadvantages
It's rare to think that using the private browsing mode of our favorite browser could be a disadvantage, but there are some. First, it's important to clarify that The private browsing offered by these browsers is not completely anonymous. since it does not hide the IP address.
It also doesn't work against malicious agents that might be on our computer, so if we happen to be infected by a keylogger or some other spyware, private browsing mode won't protect our data from them.
Perhaps one of the disadvantages that can arise from using private browsing is that when not recording the history of pages we have visited, We will not be able to use it if we have forgotten the address and want to return to a certain place.
What is the purpose and what are the benefits of browsing the Internet privately?
Private browsing offers significant advantages to users who have the need to protect your privacy and personal data, But not only that, it also brings us some other benefits that we may not know about and that would be important to know in order to take advantage of them.
First of all, we should talk about what cookies are and what their function is:
What are cookies?
They They are text files that store information about our browsing. Their main function is to remember basic information about you so that, for example, you don't have to log in every time you visit a website. They also allow other websites to learn about your preferences, tastes, browsing habits, purchases, and planning based on your recent online activity.
The purpose of this is to allow third parties to use this information to show us ads tailored to it. In other words, if for example we have searched for the price of a router device, some of the next ads you will see on websites will probably show you advertising for that.
Of course, Not everyone finds it very pleasant to provide information to advertisers, companies, or even governments, depending on the case. Much less that these third parties use the information stored in cookies to sell to us even at a higher price, because they already know that we are interested in it.
Given this concern, there is the option of using the private browsing function that most popular browsers include to avoid the above situation, keeping in mind that private browsing delete cookies once the session is over.
As we already said, If you've been interested in buying a router, or in traveling to a specific destination, third parties may use this information to offer you their products. at a higher cost. That's why, when buying a plane ticket or making a hotel reservation online, it's much better to do it in private browsing mode to avoid additional costs.
Benefits of incognito browsing
The benefits of private browsing include being able to log in from two different accounts on the same website. eg Open two different Gmail emails. on the same computer. First, you open one in the main browser window, and once it's started and the private window is open, you can open another and thus manage two accounts simultaneously from the same browser without any problems. Fantastic, isn't it?
If you're going to use a shared computer, you probably don't want your passwords to be recorded. Something that's more common than you think. Perhaps you also find the idea of having to close facebook account or some other site that requires a login to enter yours, or simply for some reason you don't want your searches and visits saved.
Whatever the case may be in those described above, private browsing It serves as a solution to these, since it... It allows you to access any page where there is already an open session.
We've also mentioned the information that is collected about our interests, and Google's search engine is no exception, as it tends to show us results based on that information. Therefore, If we want to obtain more accurate results that are less influenced by the information we provide, We can use incognito mode to obtain them.
In addition to the above, There are websites that set time limits for visiting or reading free articles, requiring a paid subscription once they run out. Private browsing allows us to bypass this, because This information is stored in cookies..
Without a doubt, one of the most common uses of private browsing is related to visiting adult websites. Primarily because it doesn't keep a record of browsing history, which is undesirable for some visitors to these websites. Also, because searches performed won't reappear due to the autocomplete function, and therefore will be out of reach of children.
How to activate incognito mode and browse anonymously on any web or mobile browser?
Most browsers for our computer or mobile device have a built-in private browsing mode. Next, we'll show you how to access it in each of them, although basically it can be done in a similar way.
For Google Chrome
En Google Chrome This function is known as «incognito mode"And it's an extremely easy-to-use tool."
- To open an incognito window, all you have to do is Go to the top right of the screen, where the three dots are located, and select "New incognito window". You can also do it through a simple keyboard shortcut by pressing the keys Ctrl+Shift+N.
- In the case of the version of Chrome for Android You will have to press the key of "Menu" and then select "New incognito tab".
For Mozilla Firefox
The process for Firefox is very similar to that for Chrome. Simply Go to the three sidebars located at the top right, Click on them and then select «New private window». The shortcut to access this function in Firefox is Ctrl+Shift+P.
In Opera
Of course This feature was essential in the Opera browserOnce you have opened it, you will select the "Menu", The option will appear there. «New private window» That's the one we'll have to choose. It's that simple!
In Safari
Opening private browsing mode in Safari on your Mac is very easy, you just have to select the option "Archive" and then choose «New private window».
In case that use Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch mobile deviceYou can activate private browsing by selecting the button in the lower right corner which includes two paintings that are one on top of the other.
There you will see all the open tabs and you will notice that in the lower left corner there is the option "Private Navigation", which you must select. That's it, from now on you can browse privately.
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