Google’s Newest Awarded Patent is an Automatic Incognito Mode

Google has recently been granted a new patent for a way to automatically turn on incognito mode in a mobile or desktop web browser. The U.S Patent No. 8,935,798 B1 was filed back in 2011 by Nest which was bought out by Google as part of their Internet of Things strategy.

What is Incognito Mode

Incognito Mode is an option inside the Chrome web browser which allow users to surf the web with a sense of anonymity because their browsing history and user entries are not stored by the software. Search terms are not kept, text cookies that are created when a surfer visits most web sites, and the cache of saved sites recently visited are all no longer recorded.

The Incognito Mode does not prevent information from being intercepted as it travels across the internet (a VPN is a better way to encrypt data to prevent unauthorized access) but it does ensure that a user's information and web browsing is not stored locally.

The secretive mode also enables a user to temporarily log into a different account at a web site when they are already logged in using a different account on the main Chrome web browser surfing mode.

Incognito Mode Not On Automatically

Incognito Mode is not turned on automatically with Chrome. The user has to either press the CTRL + SHIFT + N hotkey combination or access the menu and select New Incognito Window to open a separate browsing window in Chrome that will not log or track your activities. (Tip: Make an Incognito Shortcut)

The patent filing allows for the automatic switching to the Incognito Mode when triggered by certain user actions. This can be arriving at a SSL encrypted web site, an e-commerce site where purchases may be made, a secure login page or when entering credit card information.

There is also the option to prevent users fumbling with a mobile app interface with limited screen real estate to locate the option to turn on Incognito Mode when logged into the Nest control system or simply accessing the web from their mobile device. Being able to automatically turn on Incognito Mode can be very useful. Now Google can add this feature and other web browser developers cannot because Google now holds a patent on the feature.

Safely Increasing Focus for Web Browsers

Boosting the safety for users of the web is becoming an increasing focused for web browser developers who are seeking any edge to gain a greater foothold in the browser market share.

Mozilla recently added the Forget button to Firefox which can wipe browser data cleanly for any duration from just the last 5 minutes, 6 hours or the last day with a single tap or mouse click. They also recently added a way to refresh the browser by switching settings back to the default and removing any add-ons which may be causing security or stability problems.

Implementation Comes Next

It is unclear whether Google plan to use this with the Nest product line, the Google Chrome browser or Chrome OS. But now they have been awarded the patent they are free to utilize it however they wish.