{"id":121972,"date":"2022-02-08T06:22:30","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T14:22:30","guid":{"rendered":"\/blogs\/?p=121972"},"modified":"2025-04-22T19:32:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T02:32:06","slug":"private-browsing-vs-vpn-which-one-is-more-private","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/private-browsing-vs-vpn-which-one-is-more-private\/","title":{"rendered":"How to browse privately with a VPN"},"content":{"rendered":"

To enjoy online life to the fullest these days, we often have to give out a certain amount of personal information. That also means the moment you go online you\u2019re giving personal data away. Whether it\u2019s your phone, a game console, or a connected speaker, someone, somewhere, is monitoring your connection. Knowing what data your device sends, and who has access to that information, is an important part of maintaining your online privacy. However, without the right tools, you\u2019re probably giving away a lot more information than you realize. Many believe that one effective way to maintain online privacy is by using a private mode on a browser.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s a common misconception that \u201cprivate browsing\u201d modes\u2013like Google\u2019s Incognito\u2013protect your online privacy. It makes sense, they’re called \u201cprivate browsing\u201d, what else would they do? Well, if you’ve read the news lately, you may have seen that <\/span>Google is in a $5 billion lawsuit<\/span><\/a> specifically because of their private browsing mode.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The thing is, incognito mode is often misunderstood. When you open an incognito window, you\u2019re told that \u201cYou\u2019ve gone incognito.\u201d The explanation underneath says that your browsing history, website visits, cookies, and information you put in forms, won\u2019t be saved. This is where the confusion starts. What the incognito explanation doesn\u2019t tell you is that your browsing information isn\u2019t blocked or hidden from advertisers while in incognito mode. So even though your browsing information \u201cwon\u2019t be saved\u201d on your device or available after you close the window, that doesn\u2019t stop the internet from seeing everything you\u2019ve been up to while in that session.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For these reasons, more people use virtual private networks, or <\/span>VPNs<\/span><\/b><\/a>, to protect their browsing history from prying eyes. If you\u2019re new to <\/span>VPN<\/span><\/b>, this might be the perfect time to learn about what they are, how they work and why you might choose a <\/span>VPN<\/span><\/b> over <\/span>private<\/span><\/b> browsing<\/span><\/b>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do virtual private networks do?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

VPN<\/span><\/b> protects your devices by wrapping your internet connection in a secure tunnel that only you can access. This stops people \u2014like those nosey advertisers\u2014from seeing what sites you visit. With a secure connection to the Internet, every search request, every website you browse, is hidden from sight. It\u2019s important to point out that <\/span>VPN<\/span><\/b> doesn\u2019t make you anonymous; they make it so only you can see what you\u2019re doing online. You can learn even more about <\/span>VPN<\/span><\/b> in <\/span>this blog.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does incognito mode do? <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Without private browsing, your browser tells websites\u2013and their owners\u2013all kinds of things about you like what device you’re using, where you are, what sites you’ve visited, and when. Websites use this information to serve you relevant ads, but it can also be used to track your location and browsing habits.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With private browsing, your browser window is isolated from the rest of your operating system. Isolating the browser is supposed to help block websites from seeing who you are, block cookies and prevent access to your browsing history, but even when using private browsing, tests like <\/span>EFF’s Panopticlick privacy test<\/span><\/a> can see what device you’re on, where you’re connecting, if you can accept cookies, your OS, and many other types personally-identifying information.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the difference between VPN and private browsing?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

VPN<\/span><\/b>:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n