Newsbytes
  • India
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
  • Auto
  • Lifestyle
  • Inspirational
  • Career
  • Bengaluru
  • Delhi
  • Mumbai
  • Videos
  • Visual Stories
  • Reviews
  • Phone Reviews
  • Fitness Bands Reviews
  • Speakers Reviews
  • Find Cricket Statistics
Hindi
More
In the news
Google
Motorola
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Smartwatches
OnePlus 10T
Newsbytes
Hindi
Newsbytes
User Placeholder

Hi,

Logout


India
Business
World
Politics
Sports
Technology
Entertainment
Auto
Lifestyle
Inspirational
Career
Bengaluru
Delhi
Mumbai
Videos
Visual Stories
Reviews
Phone Reviews
Fitness Bands Reviews
Speakers Reviews
Find Cricket Statistics

More Links
  • Videos

Download Android App

Follow us on
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
 
Home / News / Technology News / Soon, websites won't be able to detect Chrome's Incognito mode
Technology

Soon, websites won't be able to detect Chrome's Incognito mode

Soon, websites won't be able to detect Chrome's Incognito mode
Written by Shubham Sharma
Feb 18, 2019, 12:22 am 2 min read
Soon, websites won't be able to detect Chrome's Incognito mode

After a long wait, Google is working on a way to ensure that websites, particularly those with paywalls, aren't able to detect its Incognito mode. The move will make private web surfing more seamless for users and prevent sites from blocking them if they're on Incognito and shielded from tracking. Here is more on Google's plan.

Loophole
How sites detected Incognito?

With Incognito, Google delivers a private browsing experience, where you're logged out of services, no history is recorded, and cookies and other local data is cleared after every session. However, the feature has long had a loophole - an API that has to be disabled while running Incognito. Using it allowed web developers to know when Incognito is running and when it's not.

Information
FileSystem API for reading, writing data

The API in question is called FileSystem and it's responsible for allowing websites to create virtual file systems for reading and writing local data. If not disabled during an Incognito session, the API could create permanent files, compromising the whole purpose of the feature.

Google's fix
Now, Google has a workaround

Though Google maintains power of Incognito by disabling the API, its move allows many websites to detect Incognito usage and block users whose web activity cannot be tracked. This is something that the company is planning to change by modifying FileSystem API. According to some commits to Chromium Gerrit, Google is changing the API to work in Incognito by storing files in RAM.

Benefit
This will make Incognito undetectable

With this move, the files created in the Incognito mode will be erased as soon as you close the session and it will be impossible for websites to detect the mode. According to an internal document seen by 9To5Google, the search giant hopes the technique will reduce the usage of this API, ultimately allowing it to deprecate and remove it for good.

Release
When these changes will roll out

The developer responsible for the way to prevent Incognito detection says the changes are expected to come in Chrome 74 in the form of a flag. Meaning, you'll have to enable the feature manually in Chrome unless it becomes a default option in later versions. Those using Canary versions of the browser should see the flag in the coming days.

Share this timeline
Facebook
Whatsapp
Twitter
Linkedin
Shubham Sharma
Shubham Sharma
Twitter
Editor with over five years of experience in covering all things science, consumer tech, space tech, AI, infosec, and business. A commerce graduate from University of Lucknow. I have been handling Tech beat at NewsBytes since 2018.
Latest
Ram (Random Access Memory)
Google
Incognito
Latest
'I Am Groot,' 'Shabaash Mithu': OTT weekend watchlist is here
'I Am Groot,' 'Shabaash Mithu': OTT weekend watchlist is here Entertainment
F1-inspired 2023 Rodin FZero track-only car revealed: Check design, features
F1-inspired 2023 Rodin FZero track-only car revealed: Check design, features Auto
Economy losing serious money: Supreme Court slams freebies
Economy losing serious money: Supreme Court slams freebies India
Woman suicide: Family petitions Jaishankar to bring body from US
Woman suicide: Family petitions Jaishankar to bring body from US India
CSA League: CSK-owned Johannesburg could sign MS Dhoni as mentor
CSA League: CSK-owned Johannesburg could sign MS Dhoni as mentor Sports
Ram (Random Access Memory)
#NewsBytesExplainer: What is virtual RAM technology in smartphones?
#NewsBytesExplainer: What is virtual RAM technology in smartphones? Technology
Ram 1500 BackCountry Edition truck, with new equipment, breaks cover
Ram 1500 BackCountry Edition truck, with new equipment, breaks cover Auto
Samsung Galaxy A72's support page goes live, launch imminent
Samsung Galaxy A72's support page goes live, launch imminent Technology
Black Shark 4 certified by TENAA; to get 6.67-inch display
Black Shark 4 certified by TENAA; to get 6.67-inch display Technology
ASUS ROG Phone 5 gets TENAA certification, certain specifications revealed
ASUS ROG Phone 5 gets TENAA certification, certain specifications revealed Technology
More News
Google
Here's how to redeem Free Fire MAX's August 11 codes
Here's how to redeem Free Fire MAX's August 11 codes Technology
Free Fire MAX: How to redeem the August 10 codes?
Free Fire MAX: How to redeem the August 10 codes? Technology
Google outage affects over 41,000 users; services now back
Google outage affects over 41,000 users; services now back Technology
US: Explosion at Google's data center critically injures 3 people
US: Explosion at Google's data center critically injures 3 people World
How to redeem Garena Free Fire MAX's August 9 codes?
How to redeem Garena Free Fire MAX's August 9 codes? Technology
More News
Incognito
Chrome Incognito case: Judge disturbed by Google's data collection practices
Chrome Incognito case: Judge disturbed by Google's data collection practices Technology
#WeeklyRecap: Google's incognito tracking, 'infected' Android wallpaper, Mitron app, more
#WeeklyRecap: Google's incognito tracking, 'infected' Android wallpaper, Mitron app, more Technology
Google faces $5 billion lawsuit for tracking 'private mode' browsing
Google faces $5 billion lawsuit for tracking 'private mode' browsing Technology
Google Chrome is getting several privacy-focused changes: Details here
Google Chrome is getting several privacy-focused changes: Details here Technology
Incognito mode launched for Google Maps: How to use it
Incognito mode launched for Google Maps: How to use it Technology
More News
Next News Article
Next News Article

Love Technology news?

Subscribe to stay updated.

Science Thumbnail
India News Business News World News Politics News Sports News Technology News Entertainment News Auto News Lifestyle News Inspirational News
Career News Bengaluru News Delhi News Mumbai News Mukesh Ambani Indian Premier League (IPL) Karnataka Samsung Xiaomi West Bengal
Bihar Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Haryana Narendra Modi Arvind Kejriwal Tamil Nadu Gujarat Yogi Adityanath YouTube
Instagram Hollywood News Uttar Pradesh Kerala Netflix Bollywood News Mamata Banerjee Maruti Suzuki Rahul Gandhi Elon Musk
Shah Rukh Khan Chelsea FC OPPO Akhilesh Yadav Indian Cricket Team Apple Manchester United Salman Khan Cryptocurrency OnePlus
Amitabh Bachchan ICC Women's World Cup Vivo India vs Sri Lanka
About Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Contact Us Ethical Conduct Grievance Redressal News News Archive Topics Archive IPL 2022 Schedule IPL 2022 Points Table Find Cricket Statistics
Follow us on
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Youtube
All rights reserved © NewsBytes 2022