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Is it actually a misconception that private browsing prevents search engines from knowing my searches? I do search for some nasty stuff in private mode and it
by samat 10y ago
Is it actually a misconception that private browsing prevents search engines from knowing my searches?
I do search for some nasty stuff in private mode and it never pops up in ads for my main account.
I do understand there might be conspiracy in Google to gather that data and link it to my account but never use it in the way I notice, but that looks like conspiracy theory to me.
- AdamSC1 10y agoYour private mode searches may not be ones that have ads for them, those sites may not use Google's re-marketing offers, the re-marketing may be offered via cookies or if they fall into an 'adult' category then you are going to see them in less locations anyway. Despite that a search engine is still able to see what you search in private browsing modes as none of it's protection change, hide or obscure your identity. If you perform a search from your IP address (or any other information that can be fingerprinted from your browser) and then do the same in private browsing mode, Google would know that it is the same user committing both searches.
- twblalock 10y ago> Is it actually a misconception that private browsing prevents search engines from knowing my searches? Of course the search engine knows what you searched for! You sent the search string from your computer to one of their servers. You'd need a way to prevent the search engine from knowing your IP address, like a proxy or Tor, in order to hide your identity.