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I see. Honestly, most of the time when I use Google Searches is because I want to look for something, and I love when Google personalizes results so that if I

I see. Honestly, most of the time when I use Google Searches is because I want to look for something, and I love when Google personalizes results so that if I type "Amiga" it knows it's the computer and I don't want to learn Spanish. Most importantly, I end up visiting lots of websites that I might want to comment on, visit later on/not lose if my phone dies, share with my girlfriend, etc. I personally don't see any advantage with incognito mode unless you want to hide porn from your spouse, so I guess I'm not the target for a browser created to be incognito-mode-only, and if I was I would probably use Tor, because they might not be share my info, but my IP is there for everyone to see along with the websites I visit.

bigbugbag 9y ago
Not everyone enjoys the filter bubble, but I tend to agree with you that always on incognito mode is annoying and does not protect your privacy except from your spouse. If you want to protect your privacy at least use tor.
- nkkollaw 9y ago
  Exactly. I don't see how private browsing can protect you in any way, while your IP is in the clear along with all HTTP requests you make.
barrkel 9y ago
I want to see the same internet as everyone else. The more my experience is customized to me, the more disconnected I am from people who aren't like me, and the more our views will diverge over time. Ultimately it leads to bad outcomes; Trump, or possibly eventually civil war. So I am against too much automatic hidden customisation. You might think that's hyperbole. I don't. I'm deadly serious; I think something worse than Trump is coming down the tracks because of an increasingly divided polis, and it's divided because of atomisation of world perspective. Filter bubbles driven by hidden preferences are directly responsible for shielding people from unpleasant perspectives, on both sides.
- abtinf 9y ago
  Everyone else is getting a customized internet view. Using Google through a private browser ensures you see an internet seen by nobody else.
  - walterbell 9y ago
    An internet seen by other private browsers.
newscracker 9y ago
> I personally don't see any advantage with incognito mode unless you want to hide porn from your spouse,... This is a very naïve view of what incognito/private browsing mode is for. Tor (not Torbrowser) is very different from incognito/private browsing. Even for your own use, it's another layer of defense to reduce the storage of information on the device about whatever you've been up to. Certainly porn is not the only topic that can polarize people and have them assume things about you. We live in a world where even tiny things can be taken out of context, manipulated and used against us either by the people close to us, or the places we work for, or even the government. You may share a device with someone or allow someone to borrow it. You may have your device stolen while having minimal or no passcode or other protection (like encryption of data stored). There are many layers to look at to be secure enough. The way I see it, you're putting yourself more at risk if you do not distinguish what requires private/incognito mode (it could even be Facebook), how often you should clear things up (like browsing history, caches) on your device/computer, etc.
- nkkollaw 9y ago
  > This is a very naïve view of what incognito/private browsing mode is for. Maybe I didn't word it correctly, I meant that all it's good for is to hide porn from your spouse. If you think incognito mode protects you in any way, than it's you who is naive. If anyone really wanted to track you, they can use your IP and see every single page you've visited. Even the size of your window is enough to track you. Tor is the only tool I know that you can use if you don't want to be tracked. > We live in a world where even tiny things can be taken out of context, manipulated and used against us either by the people close to us, or the places we work for, or even the government. Sure, but I think that we shouldn't be paranoid about it (please don't hack my account to prove a point :-)). What is the actual risk that your government will track your browser and use a tiny thing against you? I wear seatbelts because the risk of an accident is high, I don't wear a helmet to protect my head in case a small meteorite hits me. I don't think any government or anyone has the right to spy on anyone else, and organizations should work to prevent that, but I think a lot of it is hype. We live in a world where people post pictures on Facebook of themselves drunk, doing drugs and showing off things they stole, all while leaving harsh, racist, hateful comments. I would be worried more about ourselves leaving ever-lasting indications we're idiots on social media, more than about governments spying on us to get evidence to frame us.

bigbugbag 9y ago

Not everyone enjoys the filter bubble, but I tend to agree with you that always on incognito mode is annoying and does not protect your privacy except from your spouse. If you want to protect your privacy at least use tor.

nkkollaw 9y ago
Exactly. I don't see how private browsing can protect you in any way, while your IP is in the clear along with all HTTP requests you make.

barrkel 9y ago

I want to see the same internet as everyone else. The more my experience is customized to me, the more disconnected I am from people who aren't like me, and the more our views will diverge over time. Ultimately it leads to bad outcomes; Trump, or possibly eventually civil war. So I am against too much automatic hidden customisation. You might think that's hyperbole. I don't. I'm deadly serious; I think something worse than Trump is coming down the tracks because of an increasingly divided polis, and it's divided because of atomisation of world perspective. Filter bubbles driven by hidden preferences are directly responsible for shielding people from unpleasant perspectives, on both sides.

abtinf 9y ago
Everyone else is getting a customized internet view. Using Google through a private browser ensures you see an internet seen by nobody else.
- walterbell 9y ago
  An internet seen by other private browsers.

newscracker 9y ago

> I personally don't see any advantage with incognito mode unless you want to hide porn from your spouse,... This is a very naïve view of what incognito/private browsing mode is for. Tor (not Torbrowser) is very different from incognito/private browsing. Even for your own use, it's another layer of defense to reduce the storage of information on the device about whatever you've been up to. Certainly porn is not the only topic that can polarize people and have them assume things about you. We live in a world where even tiny things can be taken out of context, manipulated and used against us either by the people close to us, or the places we work for, or even the government. You may share a device with someone or allow someone to borrow it. You may have your device stolen while having minimal or no passcode or other protection (like encryption of data stored). There are many layers to look at to be secure enough. The way I see it, you're putting yourself more at risk if you do not distinguish what requires private/incognito mode (it could even be Facebook), how often you should clear things up (like browsing history, caches) on your device/computer, etc.

nkkollaw 9y ago
> This is a very naïve view of what incognito/private browsing mode is for. Maybe I didn't word it correctly, I meant that all it's good for is to hide porn from your spouse. If you think incognito mode protects you in any way, than it's you who is naive. If anyone really wanted to track you, they can use your IP and see every single page you've visited. Even the size of your window is enough to track you. Tor is the only tool I know that you can use if you don't want to be tracked. > We live in a world where even tiny things can be taken out of context, manipulated and used against us either by the people close to us, or the places we work for, or even the government. Sure, but I think that we shouldn't be paranoid about it (please don't hack my account to prove a point :-)). What is the actual risk that your government will track your browser and use a tiny thing against you? I wear seatbelts because the risk of an accident is high, I don't wear a helmet to protect my head in case a small meteorite hits me. I don't think any government or anyone has the right to spy on anyone else, and organizations should work to prevent that, but I think a lot of it is hype. We live in a world where people post pictures on Facebook of themselves drunk, doing drugs and showing off things they stole, all while leaving harsh, racist, hateful comments. I would be worried more about ourselves leaving ever-lasting indications we're idiots on social media, more than about governments spying on us to get evidence to frame us.