OK, this article was not what I expected. I use incognito mode whenever doing online banking, searching for medical information, etc. I don’t care if a web site knows I am in incognito mode. Indeed, I think it is a web site’s right to know because they may need to enforce free access quotas, etc.
Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected
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Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
The fight can be won if you block 3rd party JavaScript. Just install uMatrix and enjoy browsing the web in half the time it takes without it. No ads, no trackers, no Facebook widgets, just the web we learn to love. Sanity.
Do you know of any way through the about:config editor to do this? I'd hate to have to install yet another browser plugin.
uMatrix is a must have add-on and nothing else comes close to matching its functionality. It pairs well with uBlock Origin (same dev). Add-ons like Decentraleyes is also good as it prevents persistent tracking from shared web libraries, like Google ajax, that everyone seems to use... it's free and widely available for a reason.
Google is also working to update Chrome APIs that will cripple privacy centric add-ons and those that allow ad-blocking, like uMatrix and uBlock origin soon, so enjoy it all while it lasts.
Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, don't use the internet? Because that's what you're describing. Better cut the power cord, too, just to be safe.
Plenty of sites respect user privacy. I should know; I run dozens of them.
There are plenty of ways to track that involve zero javascript.
Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected
#74They can paywall / block incognito all they want.
Just delist the (paywall'd) articles. That's the annoying thing - when articles come up on Google and you can't read them. Please fix this.
If people want to pay, that's fine. Perhaps ISP's should pay for these websites via their plans so there's no more need to login.
I don't want to login to something just to browse a feed. I believe people would be happy to pay for these websites, but in a convenient way, ahead of time. Allow IP ranges, create a browser plugin that reauthorizes the site session even in incognito / w/o password saving. Innovate like Spotify did.
Annoying and badgering the user is 101 UX antipattern. One reason some don't buy is they don't want to encourage it.
It's fair to hold them to a high standard because many of these websites are articles and presentation is supposed to be a forte. You don't battle the adblockers and incognito modes - you fight to make it easier and more convenient for your readership.
Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected
#75Can this fight ever be won? If you've been browsing the internet for more than 5 minutes you already have cookies from some of the major ad networks. Therefore if you do not have cookies from the major ad networks, you're either a brand-new device or an incognito browser. All that is left to do is get in bed with the ad network to ask them if they have good cookies for this session. As it so happens most of the compa…
I feel as though your argument is predicated on browsers that leak tracking data such as cookies, etc. If the browser vendors would tighten their products up and start considering things like profiling the user's installed fonts as a security vulnerability, then we might see some progress. Unfortunately Google has a financial incentive to make Chrome trackable to advertisers.
Safari has already started introducing protections for attacks like font profiling and knowing the Chrome security team I would be surprised if they haven’t at least considered that as well.
Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
I understand the point of using a special user-agent to crawl webpages for indexing, but search engines should use a "regular" browser UA string (full JavaScript, etc. to simulate an actual browser) occasionally. From a different IP range too, of course. If the contents of the page are wildly different, penalise the site.
They do both or at least google does.
Even if they do both, if the bots always follow what is entered in robots.txt and humans do not, it won’t be long before that’s the primary factor.
Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected
#77Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected
#78I think the time has come for someone to make a browser that treats websites as adversaries. Feed bad data to the website, intentionally and all the time. Tell them I clicked on their ads, tell them they can access my webcam but feed it static, feed randomized location info, tell sites that notifications are enabled but never show them, direct their cookies straight to the recycle bin etc.
Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected
#79Workaround for now: 1. Open the profile menu. (This is the icon in the top right, just to the left of the three vertical dots.) 2. Click "Manage people", click "Add person" (lower right). 3. Type "Darned Newspapers!" and click "Add". 4. When you get blocked, copy URL, use the profile menu to navigate to open a new "Darned Newspapers!" window, paste URL. It's a real profile, so it should behave quite closely and shoul…
Another workaround: Disable javascript on the newspapers' sites. They load the full article and then use JS to hide it. (They also use JS to do the incognito detection in the first place.)
I have started giving websites a one-strike rule for javascript. If you pop up a paywall, a modal, an autoplay video, or anything else that distracts me, you permanently lose js execution privileges on my browser.
The world would be a better place if developers knew that they can’t count on javascript.
Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected
#80"Can this fight ever be won?"
No, the point is to make the people subverting this for their own nefarious gains (looking at you, NYT) put so much effort, money, and time into it, that eventually they die a slow horrible death and, maybe, just maybe, something better and more relevant and less evil comes along (or maybe NYT changes their ways - either works).
I mean, look at this thread, so may great undermining methods! Beautiful.