Private Browsing Modes Found to Leak Information

A study led by computer scientist Dan Boneh of Stanford University, has revealed that the private browsing features available on many internet browsers are not functioning as we may expect them to. The private modes are designed to avoid logging data regarding visited sites.

Such privacy settings are widely available across various web browsers including the four major providers Firefox, Chromium, Internet Explorer and Safari. It was on these four browsers that Boneh carried out his research.

Private browsing works by erasing information logged when a site is visited. This process prevents the saving of cookies and other history files to your hard drive, however, there are other ways in which such sensitive information is being tracked and saved.

The study concluded that features such as web site security and browser plug-ins can undermine the privacy of a browsing session. The latter were found to store data that the private browsing mode would be expected to erase.

On many shopping sites, security systems are employed for the purpose of protecting data which is exchanged during purchases; such data may also be cached onto your hard drive in this manner.

The study discovered that, surprise surprise, privacy modes were most commonly activated when a user visited an adult-oriented site. As sites such as this often involve a purchase of some sort, they are likely to result in the logging of data via the web security settings in place.

The research team determined when people were most likely to activate privacy settings by deducing the state of the site via the adverts situated thereupon. Surely the very success of the study emphasises the inefficiency of the private browsing modes, with scientists able to discover which sites were subject to more stringent privacy measures. The research itself seems to be a fantastic exercise in SEO training, through its demonstration of determining browsing trends of internet users.

In order to enhance the privacy settings of a browser, it may be worthwhile disabling any add-ons or plug-ins currently in operation on your computer, thus reducing the opportunity for your personal browsing data to be stored.