- Image via CrunchBase
A study has found that the private browsing modes which are not supposed to log information on many browsers do actually leak out information on where users have visited. However, in many cases the compromise was as a result of additions (add-ons or plug-ins) to the browser or the use of extra security measures on certain Websites which can “completely undermine” the anonymity provided by private browsing.
The study, which is due to be presented at the Usenix Security conference in Washington, was led by Dan Boneh from Stanford University on private browsing modes of Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and Chrome Internet browsers. It found that the private browsing mode was used more by users when visiting adult sites who may want to erase information such as cookies, history file entries and cached data that are usually logged during Web visits.
Talking Point
Do you ever use private modes when surfing the Internet?
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