Google Chrome users who think they can get away with saucy searches at work thanks to the browser’s Incognito mode better think again.
A Google bigwig has revealed that bosses can still keep an eye on what employees are searching for on work devices even when Incognito is activated.
Darin Fisher, the search engine giant’s Vice President of Chrome, revealed Incognito mode was not born out of a desire to help users hide naughty browsing habits.
He said it was created to make it easier for people that share computers not have cookies specific to one person interfere with another user.
One scenario Google also saw Incognito helping with was when one person in a relationship was looking for engagement rings, and didn’t want their partner finding out.
However, Fisher said that if you were hoping Chrome’s Incognito mode could protect you when searching for saucy things at work, then you’re out of luck.
In an interview with Thrillist, Fisher explained that when you use Incognito mode your browsing activity does not get recorded to the device you’re using.
However, this doesn’t mean what you search for is invisible to other people.
Fisher said if you browse an insecure site (i.e one without an ‘https’ prefix) then people on the same network as you can still see what you’re doing.
So, if you log onto your employer’s Wi-Fi using Incognito mode your boss could still see what things you’re typing into Google.
Fisher said: “When you launch the Incognito tab there’s this disclaimer there where we really try to help make it really clear to people that your activity is certainly still visible to the websites you visit and could be visible to your employer, to your school your, and to your ISP [internet service provide] of course.”
The news comes as the Google Chrome team are preparing some big updates for the world’s most popular browser, including a major ad blocking feature.
The upcoming Google Chrome feature won’t block every advert, but will block ones that are deemed unacceptable.
The group that decides this is known as the Coalition for Better Ads, which includes Google, Facebook, News Corp, and The Washington Post.
This includes things such as pop-up adverts and ads that expand on their own.
Describing the upcoming feature, Google said: “Chrome has always focused on giving you the best possible experience browsing the web.
“For example, it prevents pop-ups in new tabs based on the fact that they are annoying.
“In dialogue with the Coalition and other industry groups, we plan to have Chrome stop showing ads (including those owned or served by Google) on websites that are not compliant with the Better Ads Standards.”
The Google Chrome ad blocking feature will become available in early 2018.