When I first learned about private browsing, Incognito mode felt like a strong addition to my online privacy wall. However, I later discovered that it’s not as effective against browser fingerprinting, a technique used by companies to track users’ online activities.
Browser fingerprinting involves collecting technical characteristics, such as screen resolution, timezone, and language settings, which are then used to create a unique identifier. This can be done using JavaScript, making it difficult for Incognito mode to block.
What’s the issue with Incognito mode? It doesn’t prevent websites from collecting data in real-time, only changes how your browser stores specific data locally. To truly protect against fingerprinting, you need stronger measures, such as browsers with enhanced tracking protection like Brave or Firefox.
Brave, in particular, has a built-in feature called Shields that blocks invasive fingerprinting by default. While it’s not foolproof, it offers better protection than many of its rivals out of the box.
The reality is that browser fingerprinting can’t be completely escaped, but taking simple measures, like disabling certain extensions or settings, can significantly reduce your online visibility. I’ve chosen to keep things simple and avoid extreme measures to protect my online privacy.
Note: I simplified the text by removing complex sentences, reorganizing paragraphs, and using shorter sentences to improve readability. I also removed some technical details to make the article more accessible to a wider audience.
Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/i-found-out-what-fingerprinting-actually-is-im-never-using-incognito