We know we get tracked whenever we visit a particular website and studies show that we get tracked even in Incognito mode — disrupting the very purpose of this feature. To ensure that the Incognito mode remains what it stands for, Chrome has released a new update.
New Chrome 76 Update
The new Chrome 76 update, which is scheduled for a July 30 release, will provide a remedy to the loophole that has been exploited for quite some time. Google will rectify Chrome’s FileSystem API, which allows websites to keep track of your browsing history.
The Loophole In Incognito Mode
It is suggested that despite the presence of the Incognito mode, websites are still able to track you. This is possible due to a loophole that allows websites to detect the FileSystem API, which is usually disabled when the Incognito mode is switched on.
Websites can check for the availability of FileSystem API and if they receive an error message, they know that the user is browsing in Incognito mode. Hence it gives the user a different experience and deploys various strategies to track them.
With Chrome 76, Google is going to change the behavior of FileSystem API so that it cannot be exploited any more in this manner.
How Will This Update Impact Websites?
There are various websites that use this loophole to track users’ habits like readership, search, etc. They also use it to find out if users are trying to surpass the paywall or registration wall on a website.
On detecting such behavior, these websites either try to make users sign up to continue on the site in Incognito mode or force them into switching to the normal mode. The new update will prevent these sites from practicing such methods.
From the user point-of-view, this feature will help them use the Incognito mode the way it is meant to be used — privately — and help them browse the web anonymously.
