Concerns about online privacy have mounted, but many consumers remain in the dark in terms of how to actually remain anonymous on the internet, according to a new survey from Avast.
The first hard lesson? Private browsing modes are not nearly as private as you think. Of the 10,000 consumers surveyed worldwide, 65% mistakenly believe that Incognito and Private browsing modes will hide their identity and their search history from governments, organizations, and advertisers. In reality, while the browsers may not save your internet activity, it might still be visible to websites you visit and their ads, employers, schools, and internet service providers.
Consumers also hold false beliefs about the security protections offered by popular browsers, the survey found: 77% of consumers have “misplaced expectations” that their browser will alert them to potential web-based threats, including those from installed third-party extensions.
These extensions, used on a large scale, are a major threat to privacy and security, the survey noted. More than 64% of respondents said that they use extensions, but only 21% said they consider those extensions to be trustworthy.
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/no-private-browsing-mode-wont-hide-your-search-history-from-advertisers/