Did you notice Incognito mode’s improved privacy?

If you’ve ever used Incognito mode in Chrome, youprobably know the basics: It lets you browse without saving your history,cookies, or other temporary data.

But was it ever truly private?

Not entirely…

Until recently, if you copied something from an Incognitotab, like text, an image, or a web address, Windows could still save it in yourclipboard history and even sync it to other devices.

Not exactly what you might want from a “private”browsing session, right?  

Microsoft has quietly stepped in to fix that loophole,making Incognito mode even more private.

When you open an Incognito tab in Chrome (or InPrivatemode in Edge), your browser stops saving:

·       Your browsing history (so nobody else using yourdevice can see what websites you’ve visited)

·       Cookies and site data (so websites won’t remember youafter you close the tab)  

·       Form data (so your browser won’t autofill your detailsnext time)  

This can be handy for things like:  

·       Checking flight costs or hotel bookings without trackingcookies causing price hikes  

·       Logging in to multiple accounts without having to signout  

·       Using a shared computer without leaving a trail  

Let’s say you’re copying confidential business informationor a personal message while in Incognito mode. Before this update, Windowswould have saved that copied text in your clipboard history, meaning anyone whopressed Windows Key + V later could see it.

Even worse? If you had Cloud Clipboard enabled (whichsyncs clipboard data between Windows devices), your copied content could end upon another device entirely.

Microsoft spotted this issue and patched it, makingsure that when you copy something in Incognito mode, Windows won’t save it to yourclipboard history or sync it to the cloud.

So, now your activity truly disappears when you closethe tab (Google has since picked up this change and rolled it into Chromeupdates for everyone.)  

Meanwhile, Microsoft has made another small but usefulprivacy improvement: Media previews are now hidden when using Incognito mode.  

Normally, when you play a YouTube video (or any media)in Chrome, Windows shows a preview of what’s playing whenever you adjust thevolume or check the media panel. If you’re on the lock screen, it even showsdetails like the video title and artwork.

Watching something in Incognito? Thanks to the update,now it just says, "A site is playing media”. No titles, no thumbnails, nodetails.  

This means that if you’re watching a sensitive video(business-related or otherwise), there’s no accidental exposure if someone elseglances at your screen.  

If you use Incognito mode for private browsing, you’renow getting better protection than before, even if you didn’t realize there wasa problem in the first place.

But remember: Incognito mode still doesn’t hide youractivity from your internet provider, work network, or the websites you visit.It’s great for local privacy on your device, but it won’t make you completelyanonymous online.  

If you need help making sure your sensitive businessdata stays private, get in touch.

‍