What is private or incognito browsing?¶

Private browsing is a mode that reduces selected local browser records after a session; it does not make activity anonymous or erase the wider evidence trail.

Local retention changes¶

Browsers may avoid retaining ordinary history, cookies and form data. Downloads, bookmarks, screenshots and created files can remain. Exact behaviour depends on browser, operating system and version.

Other systems still observe activity¶

Websites, signed-in accounts, networks, DNS, employers and providers may record connections and events. Device cache, notifications, crash records, keyboard data and memory can preserve traces. Private use is common for privacy and account separation and does not itself imply wrongdoing.

Absence of ordinary history is not absence of evidence.