A spot of (not so) private browsing Boogich/Getty

Private browsing windows aren’t as private as people think. When asked simple questions about what private browsing actually means, many people get it wrong.

All major web browsers offer “private” modes, including Incognito Mode in Chrome, InPrivate in Edge and Private Browsing Mode in Firefox. These stop the browser from saving surfing history, log in information and cookies.

However, many people incorrectly believe that private browsing also protects them against computer viruses, targeted ads, geolocation, and tracking by employers and governments, says Yasemin Acar at Leibniz University Hannover in Germany.

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