Is Chrome’s incognito mode actually incognito?

Google is making Incognito Mode more incognito, a report by 9to5Google claims.

Currently, Incognito Mode does not really hide your presence from websites because web developers can still detect if you’re using the mode in the first place, making it pointless.

Essentially, developers enable the “FileSystem” API to detect you. This API is meant to be disabled during Incognito Mode, because it is where data would usually be stored.

The report explained that “when asked for a file system while in Incognito, Chrome will create a virtual one using RAM, to fully ensure it’s deleted once you leave Incognito”.

Eventually however, Google intends to remove the FileSystem API altogether.

“Since there’s no adoption of the FileSystem API by other browser vendors, it appears to be only used by sites to detect incognito mode,” said an internal document accessed by 9to5Google.

The website notes that the fix will most probably come with a Chrome 76 update.