Incognito mode: why you’re not as anonymous as you think

Here is some sad truth - we’re always being watched online. Yes, it sounds like something a conspiracy fan would say, nevertheless, it is really true. Of course, Google doesn’t have some sneaky agents that track the activity of users 24/7. But it has artificial intelligence that, in fact, does a much better job of watching over us.

With the help of AI, Google gathers all the information about us we’ve put online at least once. It gets our nicknames, real names, locations, and other data. Sounds very unsettling, doesn’t it? Let us comfort you a bit. The good news is that it’s extremely unlikely that someone will hack into Google and steal your data. However, you still want to hide at least something from the prying eyes of the corporation.

So, let’s figure out the ways to protect yourself. Spoiler alert: incognito mode is not reliable. But thankfully, you have free VPN providers like iNinja that can keep you anonymous. However, let’s go through all this step by step.

Why does Google gather our data anyway?

Well, because of the money. You should never forget that this corporation has its Google Ads service that works like a marketing platform for businesses. And over 80% of the revenue Google gets comes from companies that pay for context ads. So obviously, the more ads are there, the more money the corporation makes.

That’s the reason why Google tracks you - they want to know what you like and what you want to offer you then suitable ads. While it doesn’t really sound like something more than annoying, the amount of information the company knows about us is quite scary. It’s safe to assume that Google knows about the user that doesn’t use VPN more than this person knows about themselves.

Why doesn’t incognito mode help?

Going CTRL+Shift+N in Chrome will make you anonymous, but not from Google. Incognito mode hides your browsing history and online activity from other users that can open your browser. Also, you can fool some websites into thinking that you’re a new visitor there. It’s useful sometimes, especially when you’re shopping online.

But the Chrome itself doesn’t really think you’ve done something when you entered the incognito mode. It still collects the information and sends it to Google. And yes, the corporation follows you on adult websites. So you can be sure the company knows your sexual interests.

Incognito mode only creates a separate channel for your activity to, again, hide it from other users in your household. So it’s not the solution for you staying anonymous before the tech giant.

Will turning off the location services help?

A lot of apps track your location because you allowed them to do so. Although even if you disable your location services, but your smartphone is using mobile data, Google can still see your locations. And if you think that using an iPhone you stay safer than Android users, you couldn’t be more wrong. If it’s not Google, then it’s Apple tracking system.

Other data gets collected thanks to cookies or software that is pushed on the site. This way, Google can see buttons you click, the time you’ve spent on the website, and a lot of other data. In other words, the company will gather all the information that will help to sell you more products and services.

Fortunately, you can protect yourself regardless of the device you’re using. iNinja VPN is compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Thus, you can stay anonymous on all your devices.

What information exactly do they gather?

It’s impossible to answer this question precisely. The variety of data ranges from not so sensitive to scarily intimate. And if the system doesn’t know something about you, it will try filling out the blanks using the predictive algorithm that is based on your patterns and interests.

That’s how Google manages to show you ads related to that thing you mentioned in the conversation the other day. It’s very likely that the corporation is not spying on your microphone but using the advanced technology that can predict your desires.

Additionally, Google can connect the dots and figure out the closes people you interact with the most. They can understand who your coworkers and friends are, and who you live with.

Even the VPN won’t stop the corporation from tracking. However, what saves you is that your activity gets mashed up with the activity of hundreds of other users who are connected to the same server as you are. Thus, it gets impossible for Google to figure out who is who, and your activity becomes anonymous.

What can happen if you seed out your data?

It might seem insignificant to leave your name on one website and your email on another. However, it’s not that hard for both companies and hackers to match these pieces of information with your IP address and compile your entire profile using just tiny bits of data. Then, all sorts of predicaments can follow the trail of information you leave.

Hackers can steal your identity, make use of your credit card, and even figure out the location of your home and your schedule. Then even your physical security is at risk.

What tracking does?

It follows your locations. And Google’s advanced AI can even predict your next move to get a chance to show you relevant ads.

What is watching?

Some countries like China don’t think twice before spying on their citizens. However, even if you live in a country that is considered to be “free”, you can still be watched. Corporations will try to match your face to your credit card and other data to get a fuller picture of who you are.

What about financial data?

Google and other tech companies will not take away your money, but they will record your purchases. But you might risk your funds buying something from shady retailers. However, most banks implement a two-step verification for each purchase. It makes the credit card data quite useless - you will still need to verify the transaction entering the code sent to you via an SMS, for example.

You should worry about censorship, too

In recent years the number of censored topics grew significantly. And while in most countries you won’t face the law because you’ve expressed your unpopular opinion online, sometimes it can harm your career, for example. This way or another, you should think twice and protect yourself even if you’re not using your real name online.

Are there any advantages to all this tracking?

Yes, everything has its good and bad side. And those tech fans who live in smart houses and AI assistants will be happy to advertise their lives to you. So here are the advantages of staying connected to modern services.

You know where you are

It is useless for your home area, but when you go somewhere, you can benefit from the location tracking. The navigation you use in the car, or even Google Maps in some unknown place are very helpful. And if you want to stay at least somewhat anonymous using such services, you can enable iNinja VPN. It will protect your data while letting you use location tracking apps.

You can pay for things easily

Instant payments are great. They allow you to buy products and services online and in real life in no time. And while it’s safer for your privacy to pay by cash, paper money is not convenient. Using an anonymous gift card for online shopping can be a compromise in this case.

You get things delivered to your door

You can’t receive the delivery if you don’t provide the retailer with your home address. Of course, you can have your purchase delivered to some drop-spot. But it won’t be as cool as just having it delivered to your door.

The bottom line

There are many downsides to using modern technologies and being tracked. And incognito mode, by all means, won’t save you from all the issues listed in this article. However, you shouldn’t become one of those conspiracy fans with tinfoil hats because all these technologies have their benefits too. Ultimately, they’re meant to bring more comfort to our lives, making things easier.

Instead of worrying about your privacy, you can simply stick to using a VPN service. iNinja VPN will protect you from prying eyes and let you stay anonymous online. It is compatible with all devices and platforms so that you can safeguard your activity on all gadgets you own. Then you can browse the Internet peacefully.