Chrome Android incognito mode is adding an extra layer of security with PIN, face unlock, or even fingerprint access. The new feature highlights ways that can improve users' security through their phone when accessing incognito mode.
Google Incognito Mode
According to the story by SlashGear, private browsing, otherwise known as incognito mode, is one of the very basic forms of privacy protection mechanisms existing in web browsers today. Although it can sometimes be mistaken for complete privacy protection, incognito mode actually only makes sure that the user won't leave any traces of their activity on the browser itself.
The protection, however, can be considered quite pointless if there is already someone else that holds the users' phone and the browser is left open. This is why Google has now been working on another re authentication mechanism for its incognito mode scheduled to come to Android pretty soon.
PIN or Biometric Authentication
Physical access to a particular device will almost always make security features quite moot. This is especially true when the users' phone is already unlocked. Incognito mode can also be rendered useless when the tabs are already opened within the browsers' background. Google allows complete search history deletion despite not even using incognito mode.
All that it would take is for an unauthorized user to simply switch everything back to it in order to see what the original user has been secretly browsing. Another lock for the incognito mode would add an extra layer of security. This is presumably if users already have enabled their PIN or biometric authentication on their device.
Chrome Android Canary Version
Chrome Story reports that a brand new flag in Chrome for Android's very own development Canary version will add exactly that. Once the flag has reportedly been enabled and Chrome has finally been restarted, a brand new setting in the browser's existing Privacy and Security settings will then let them switch the reauthentication either on or off.
If the feature is enabled, users will then be required to enter their very own phone PIN or maybe even use face unlock or perhaps fingerprint unlock in order to access those incognito tabs. Google, as of the moment, is introducing this particular experiment to Chrome for iOS.
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Authentication iOS Implementation
When users navigate away from those particular incognito tabs for any reason at all, they will then need to re authenticate to the phone in order for them to see the tabs again. Users will first need to tap on the button, though, so that it will not be as automatic as just unlocking a phone.
The iOS implementation, quite sadly, is still not yet available for the whole general public. The Android counterpart could also take quite a while before launching to the general users. As of the moment, users should note that Private Browsing mode is still not bulletproof. Websites, carriers, and even Google themselves can still see users' activity. A lawsuit was even launched against Google for collecting data in incognito mode from users despite them thinking they are safe.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
