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It is that, but it's not called that. It's called incognito mode. "With one's identity disguised or concealed". With the icon of a spy in trenchcoat and hat and

It is that, but it's not called that. It's called incognito mode. "With one's identity disguised or concealed". With the icon of a spy in trenchcoat and hat and shades. Going out into the world incognito does not imply "everyone knows who I am as usual, I just don't keep a diary entry of where I go", it implies some attempt to disguise and hide and obscure. FireFox's "Private Browsing" mode is similarly misnamed. "Private" does not imply: everyone knows what I'm doing, except my personal diary log has no record of it. Private implies other people don't know. Would it not be a bit daft for Ford to release a "silent car" when all it means is a loud V8 engine but they give you a pair of earplugs so that you can't hear it?

asdfasgasdgasdg 6y ago
To me, incognito means, "I'm out in the world, and possibly identifiable, but I am not broadcasting as much information about myself as I typically would." For example, I'm not sending my typical logged in cookies. That's exactly what I expect incognito mode to do and, I believe, exactly what it does. If I'm out in the world incognito, that doesn't mean I can't possibly be identified. A close look at my face might still let someone figure out who I am, despite my Dick Tracy hat. It just means I'm putting in some effort not to allow my identity to be known. This seems like a great metaphor for what incognito mode does.