Google Chrome's incognito mode is popular for private browsing. Users use the mode for private browsing when they want to keep their Internet browsing history secret.
However, Google Chrome's privacy mode does not prevent sites or apps from completely tracking you. Over the years, hackers and developers have found loophoples in incognito mode and managed to keep track of users and their web activity.
Google does not tolerate bad practices
Platforms like Stack Overflow are flooded with tips and tricks to circumvent restrictions Google Chrome in incognito mode.
There are some tools available online that allow developers to track the websites you are visiting, even after you are in incognito mode.
Some companies are using paywalls like The Boston Globe to block users from browsing incognito.
A known problem
In an open discussion last week, Google announced that it was modifying the FileSystem API so that it could be used in private browsing mode, without risk to privacy.
A design document explains that if a user is in a normal browsing session, they will continue to use physical storage for the virtual file system, but when using incognito mode, they will use virtual storage instead.
When sites request to use the API when the browser is in incognito mode in the future, Chrome will no longer return a visible error.
Instead, it will create a virtual file system in RAM. This will be removed at the end of your incognito session, so that a permanent record cannot be created.
This will allow the file system to be cleared when you close the private browsing session and leave no trace on hard drives.
When browsing the web with Google Chrome, some sites use a method of determining whether a visitor is in a normal browser session or in incognito mode.
As this can be considered a breach of confidentiality, Google will change the operation of a particular API so that websites can no longer use this technique.
Google has announced a solution
Chrome supports the File System API, which allows sites to create a virtual file system that resides in the browser sandbox.
Esto allows resource-intensive sites, such as online games, to download these resources to a virtual file system, without having to download them when necessary.
Currently, the FileSystem API is not available in incognito sessions because it leaves files that can be considered a privacy risk.
This allows sites to check if a user is in incognito mode, simply by trying to use the FileSystem API.
Google will make it easy to track the number of incognito tabs you have opened since incognito tabs are not available not saved in your history, When you accidentally close a tab or even a series of tabs, you cannot restore them, which means that users need to be more careful when closing the browser.
Now Chromium developers have decided to enable by default a flag that allows the browser to indicate the number of open incognito tabs in the address bar, which means that users will be notified if they close multiple tabs.
When will it be implemented?
It is unclear when this feature will be available to all users and it remains debatable whether users will need the many incognito tabs they opened after the end of their incognito session.
As for when Chrome's incognito detection prevention feature is expected to start, The developer responsible for the project says that it intends to make it to Chrome 74, before it is enabled by default in Chrome 76.