Claim:
Incognito mode protects users’ data from being recorded.
Rating:
What’s True
Any browsing done in incognito mode is not recorded in a user’s history locally, and cookies are not saved. However …
What’s False
… the websites users access, users’ internet service providers, and even Google are still privy to that information.
In early November 2025, a Reddit user posted a meme (archived) claiming that Google kept data from users browsing through incognito mode. Some commenters said that the information was common knowledge, while others were shocked that Google apparently had access to their private browsing sessions.
Wait….did people not realize this?
byu/BoostedJuan inpcmasterrace
Users have questioned incognito mode’s actual level of privacy on X (archived) and Reddit (archived) since at least 2013.
According to the Google Chrome Help website, incognito mode “provides local privacy on your device,” meaning incognito users’ browsing data is not stored on their computer, providing some surface level protection. However, the mode “does not affect how Google collects data when you use other products and services,” meaning users’ data is still collected — not quite as anonymous as they might have expected.
As such, we have rated this claim as a mixture of true and false.
Behind incognito mode’s mask
As of this writing, the incognito home page featured a small section explaining what the mode actually did for users. It read, in part:
Others who use this device won’t see your activity, so you can browse more privately. This won’t change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google. Downloads, bookmarks and reading list items will be saved.
(Google)
This wording was a new version, though, updated around January 2024. The previous version of the text read, “Now you can browse privately, and other people who use this device won’t see your activity. However, downloads and bookmarks will be saved.” It appeared to be a less straightforward description of the mode.
Google might have updated the mode’s description to be clearer as a result of a $5 billion class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleged that the company unfairly collected users’ data. Even though information about incognito mode’s level of privacy was available on the Google Chrome Help website, the suit alleged that it was not clear enough, and users expected a level of privacy that they were not actually getting.
According to NPR, as part of a settlement issued in April 2024, instead of paying any money, Google will “destroy the private browsing history of millions of [incognito users]” and block third-party cookies by default. According to Google’s Privacy & Terms website, cookies are “small pieces of text sent to your browser by a website you visit.” They help websites remember users’ information and serve users personalized ads.
It was unclear whether Google followed through on the terms of the settlement, or how the deletion of user data would be measured. We reached out to the company for more information about the lawsuit and how incognito mode tracks users, and will update the story if we receive a response.
For further reading, Snopes investigated the claim that “Pokémon GO” developer Niantic used location-based player data to build an artificial intelligence navigation system.
