In this issue of Tips & Tricks for Reporters, we discuss Incognito Mode! The leaves continue to fall, and the yard and cubicle decorations everywhere remind us it’s the Halloween season–that time of year when we celebrate the spooky and the scary; where we put on masks and welcome ghouls and goblins at our front door, confidently knowing that underneath the costumes are our friends and neighbors.

The Internet, too, is filled with shady creatures, and not all of them are well meaning. As reporters, we’re searching the Internet every day, looking for spellings of names, searching for companies, deciphering a word someone may have said, and all other sorts of nuances. We don’t have that same level of anonymity or trust of everyone who knocks on our virtual door.

During this Halloween season, disguise your computer from those ghouls and goblins that track our computers, and start searching in “Incognito Mode.”

Incognito Mode is a setting on Google Chrome that limits what Chrome remembers about your browsing history. It’s a helpful tool, but it’s important to note that it does not offer complete anonymity.

When using Incognito Mode, Chrome won’t save your browsing history, cookies and site data, or information filled into forms. And, when you browse privately, other people who use the same device won’t see your activity.

You can access Incognito Mode one of two ways:

• Open Chrome
• Click More (the three vertical dots in the upper right-hand corner)
• Select “New Incognito Window”

Or

• Press Control + Shift + N.

While browsing in Incognito Mode, search and browse as you normally would. When you close the window, all activity is cleared from Chrome.

While Incognito Mode helps limit what your browser remembers, it’s important to note that your activity might still be visible to:

• Websites you visit, including the ads and resources used on those sites
• Your employer, school, or whoever runs the network you’re using
• Your internet service provider

While Incognito Mode is just one part of your Internet privacy and security plan, it’s an easily implemented way to keep the Internet a little less spooky this Halloween.