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It's tracked by Google even if you never visit a page operated by Google. Non-Google websites that include Google tracking are contributing here (which is most
by sooyoo 4y ago
It's tracked by Google even if you never visit a page operated by Google. Non-Google websites that include Google tracking are contributing here (which is most of the web).
The sentence you cite suggests that it's "just" such sites that see your activity, while it's a third party (Google) that does as well and that is the issue here.
Sure, technically you could argue that the tracking is "part" of the website that you visit, so it's technically still "only" the site that's tracking you. But let's be honest here, no reasonable non-hair-splitting non-geek would read it that way.
- thewebcount 4y agoThank you for pointing this out. It's strange the contortions other posters here are going through to pretend that a normal person wouldn't understand that when Google tells you're in incognito mode, Google still tracks you. If I put Firefox in private mode, I'm pretty sure the Mozilla Foundation doesn't get to see a bunch of my activity. It's pretty simple.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- sahila 4y agoBut Google only tracks you if the website you visit belongs to Google or the website uses something Google Analytics. In either case, it's explicit in how Google gets your information. Is there other ways Google is tracking you in incognito mode? Additionally, there's other websites like Meta or things like Fullstory, segment, or really any third party tracking that gathers data in the same way GA does.
- thewebcount 4y ago> or the website uses something Google Analytics Right, so only just about every website on the planet. > In either case, it's explicit in how Google gets your information. It's not explicit at all. The vast majority of users would not understand that's happening when they're in incognito mode.
- sahila 4y agoCurious, what would you have google do? Disable GA tracking when in incognito, and if so, how should they handle other tracking scripts? Possibly they could try to explain to the user what GA is, but I imagine if users don’t understand the internet already, this isn’t easy to explain.
- kotlin2 4y agoBut you’re also using a Google product that markets itself as allowing you to browse “incognito” and its own engineers admit it’s a terrible name because it’s super misleading. Basically, Google is trying to have its cake and eat it too.