5 ms·

A lot of folks are commenting on the fact that "incognito mode" never promised that it would conceal your identity. I find it odd that everyone seems to be jus

• bpodgursky 4y ago
  What would you call it?
  • tlogan 4y ago
    No profile mode? Browsing as guests user?
    • nabakin 4y ago
      Guest mode?
    • insanitybit 4y ago
      Guest users are their own thing already in Chrome. And you do have a profile, you can even bring extensions into your incognito mode.
  • wil421 4y ago
    No history browsing. Or have a disclaimer that the ad company can still see what you’re doing.
    • screamingninja 4y ago
      > Your activity isn’t hidden from websites you visit, your employer or school, or your internet service provider. I see this disclaimer every time I launch incognito mode. Does it not count?
      • wil421 4y ago
        There’s a huge difference in your internet provider being able to see your browsing history versus software labeled incognito or private browsing.
  • nabakin 4y ago
    Be more explicit and call it something like "Reduced tracking mode" (could shorten to "RT mode"), "Guest mode", "Privacy-focused mode", etc. There are a bunch of names which could provide better understanding although they're probably not the best for marketing
    • luckylion 4y ago
      But it doesn't reduce the tracking at all, it only doesn't persist cache, cookies + history beyond the browser session.
      • nabakin 4y ago
        Cookies contain tracking information so removing those 'reduces tracking'
    • int_19h 4y ago
      Pretty much all other browser vendors use some term derived from "private".
    • npteljes 4y ago
      Guest mode describes it best, I think. It's a relatable term, as the concept of guests is universal, and it's indeed one of the uses of incognito / private mode.
      • nabakin 4y ago
        The only potential problem I see is users confusing it with the guest account on Chrome
  • svnpenn 4y ago
    why do you act like Google Chrome is the only browser? All you have to do is look at what other browsers do. For example, Firefox calls it "New Private Window"
  • yourad_io 4y ago
    Clean slate mode
• type-r 4y ago
  It's interesting how differing the opinions are for Tesla's autopilot naming. In that case, people seem to really care that it's not accurate.
  • devoutsalsa 4y ago
    If you make an autopilot that is not truly auto, as in automatic, and not truly a pilot, that’s a pretty stupid name for a feature on a 2000kg vehicle that drives 100kph within a meter of pedestrians.
    • spijdar 4y ago
      I don't keep up with the specifics of Tesla's (or any other company, for that matter) "self-driving"/driving-assist features, and I do think the name is a pretty poor choice for the general public, but by analogy to aviation autopilots, it sounds pretty similar. Bear in mind, lane-assist and even cruise control could also be called "autopilots" by this same reasoning. Autopilots in aviation vary wildly in capabilities, and the term is used pretty broadly to refer to any automated system that controls some aspect of the flight, since even flying straight and level at a fixed altitude is a pretty demanding job over hours. As you alluded to, though, autopilots (in planes) don't generally have to worry about traffic or running into obstacles. The first line of defense is ATC scheduling planes so they won't collide, and in large commercial planes, TCAS transponders that signal the pilot (with a loud aural warning) of traffic that might be a threat, and providing guidance to avoid collisions. For alert pilots, there is usually a lot more time to react to these threats than in cars with only 10s of meters of separation. Some autopilots integrate with TCAS to perform automated avoidance maneuvers, though it's not clear to me how common these are. At any rate, most people know nothing about aviation, and it's either ignorant or deceptive to call it "autopilot" when the average person thinks that implies fully automated as opposed to partially automated piloting. Driving-assist in this case is automatic and a pilot, but not fully automatic. And when you need response times in seconds to subseconds, you can't afford to "zone out" to the extent an aviation pilot might.
      • devoutsalsa 4y ago
• encryptluks2 4y ago
  Should we ignore private mode on Firefox is the same thing and not really private. I think incognito in this context is actually more accurate.
  • twobitshifter 4y ago
    Actually it’s not the same because firefox comes with enhanced tracking protection.
  • npteljes 4y ago
    We should. Private mode fits the usage, and also if you open one such windows, it'll clearly tell you that: "Firefox clears your search and browsing history when you close all private windows. This doesn’t make you anonymous."
    • encryptluks2 4y ago
      That doesn't make you private either. Google getting based while Firefox getting a free pass when doing the same thing doesn't make sense unless people are letting bias impact their logic.
      • npteljes 4y ago
        After some thought, I agree. It's private only in a way that it's off the local records, but the ISP, government, can track the same info they would in the normal browsing mode.
• patmcc 4y ago
  If I put on a big trench coat, hat, sunglasses, and mask, such that no one can recognize me, I'm certainly "incognito". If I then go into a store and say "hey I'm Pat, account number 314b" that's on me. I'm no longer incognito to them. If someone watches incognito me coming out of my front door and getting into my car, they may (reasonably) assume that it's me. This doesn't mean my identity isn't concealed.
  • forgotmypw17 4y ago
    If I give you a trench coat specifically to conceal yourself, but on the back I write your name in a way that you don't notice, am I being honest?
    • insanitybit 4y ago
      That isn't what's happening. Chrome, "the trenchcoat", is in no way "naming" you while in incognito mode.
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• tedunangst 4y ago
  Incognito doesn't mean invisible. If I put on a fake mustache and walk around the grocery store, they can still see me. The store manager can still say "hey, the mustache guy is spending a lot of time looking at the lettuce." And yet, I'm incognito. They don't know who I am.
  • npteljes 4y ago
    One definition for incognito is "With one's identity disguised or concealed". A fake mustache is not an incognito, your identifying features are clearly visible. Adding to this, if you made an impression with your fake mustache, and visited the store the next day in a clown nose, they'd recognize you, making your attempts at being in incognito useless.
    • tedunangst 4y ago
      What do you think the purpose of the fake mustache is?
      • npteljes 4y ago
        I don't get your point. I've seen the fake mustache used in popular culture to show a badly executed disguise. Is this to refer to how ineffective the Incognite mode is, seeing how its icon are also obvious disguise tropes, the glasses and the hat?
  • Izkata 4y ago
    You just made the same mistake the non-tech users make: Chrome's incognito means that store manager would know who you are, not just that you're there - the fake mustache would do nothing.
    • travoltaj 4y ago
      I think it's an apt analogy. If the store manager has never seen you before, the store manager would not know who you are at all unless you introduce yourself. The only thing they would learn about you would be characteristics like height/weight/voice/tattoos etc - your IP address - and could use it to correlate you if seeing you in the future
• Aachen 4y ago
  Who even chose this word? I myself certainly don't think of potential lawsuits when choosing names for my buttons, I choose something that makes sense to me and that I think will make sense to the target audience. I can be wrong. Is incognito a word that's wrong enough to be considered intentionally and maliciously misleading users?