Common Myths about Private Browsing about:reader?url=https://support.mozilla.org/e...

support.mozilla.org

Common Myths about

Private Browsing
2 minutes

Private Browsing is a useful feature of Firefox, but

only if you understand the protection it offers. It
helps you obscure your online activity from other
people who use Firefox on your computer, but does
not make you invisible online.

Reality: Private Browsing does not mask your

identity or activity online. Websites can still gather
information about your visit, even if you are not
signed in, and so can internet service providers. If
you use your device at work your company may be
able to monitor the websites you visit. Or, if you surf
the web at home, your cable company or their
partners may have access to your browsing
information.

Reality: Private Browsing works by letting you

browse without saving cookies and browsing history,
in a private window. If you download a file from a
website it will remain on your computer, though it
will not appear in the download manager in Firefox.
Also, if you bookmark a site while in a Private

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Common Myths about Private Browsing about:reader?url=https://support.mozilla.org/e...

Window, it will remain in your bookmark list.

Reality: Private Browsing will, by default, display

visited sites and bookmarks as you type in the
address bar. These are the URLs saved to Firefox
during normal browsing. If you don’t want to see
these suggestions, you can deselect them in your
Firefox Preferences panel.

Reality: Private Browsing does not protect you from

malware installed on your computer. If you suspect
you have malware, take steps to remove it and
prevent it from happening again.

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