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Tired of having your every move on the web tracked, filed, classified and algorithmically regurgitated as shopping suggestions? Well, it's almost impossible to be truly anonymous online, but most of today's web browsers will let you go incognito whenever you wish thanks to something called "private browsing".
In these private browsing modes your web browser will reject cookies, disregard history and throw away any cached files. As a result anyone else using your PC would not have any idea what you'd been up to on the web.
Of course it's important to realize that there are plenty of ways your movements are still being tracked. While your browser might be cover your tracks, it often doesn't cover all of them. Download a file and it's still downloaded.
Then there's your ISP, which still sees the traffic moving through its network and it knows that traffic came from you, so don't try to use private browsing mode as a way around the Chinese internet firewall.
However, if you're shopping for a present -- or, ahem, anything else you don't want other family members to know about -- private browsing mode will most likely suffice to cover your tracks.
Here's how you can enable it in today's web browsers.
=== Google Chrome ===
Chrome's private browsing mode is called "Incognito" and can be found under the tools menu (the wrench), just select "New incognito window." The resulting window will be a darker shade of blue and has a helpful warning screen about scenarios where incognito may be insufficient for covering your tracks.
=== Firefox ===
Firefox refers to its private setting as "Private Browsing," which can be found under the Tools menu. Unlike other browsers, enabling Firefox's private browsing will hide all of your currently open tabs and windows and present you with a new, blank window. Once you're done with your private browsing session, the tabs and windows you had open before you started private browsing will be restored.
=== Internet Explorer ===
Microsoft introduced "InPrivate Mode" in Internet Explorer 8. To enable it just head to the InPrivate Browsing item in the "Safety" menu. You'll then be presented with a new window. To stop InPrivate browsing just close that window.
=== Safari ===
Apple's web browser also uses the term private browsing, which you'll find under the Safari menu. Select that option and Safari will warn you that none of your history will be stored, searches won't be saved and so on. Just click OK and you'll be in private browsing mode. To turn private browsing off just select the menu item again.
=== Opera ===
Opera offers a private tab within a non-private windows or, less confusing, a brand new private browsing window. Both options can be found under the new Opera menu item under the Tabs and Windows options.
== What to do in older browsers and mobile devices ==
So what if you're using IE7 or Mobile Safari or an Android-based web browser and you need to cover your tracks? Well, it take a little more effort but it can be done.
=== Mobile Safari ===
There's really no way to hide what you're doing on the iPhone until after its already done, but since that's better than nothing, here's how you do it: head to the settings app and scroll down to Safari. Near the bottom of the Safari page you'll see three options to delete your history, cookies and cache. Touch all three and you'll have gotten rid of most of the evidence.
=== Android ===
Android ships with the Chrome web browser, but sadly it lacks the same Incognito mode found in the desktop version. However, as with the iPhone, you can cover your tracks after the fact by heading to your preferences and deleting history, cookies and caches.
=== Older Browsers ===
While it's obviously not as simple as dedicated menu item, most older browsers allow you to selectively delete cookies, browsing history and caches. For IE 7 and below head to Internet Options and start deleting everything you see there (be aware this will delete all cookies, so you'll need to login to sites like Gmail and Facebook all over again)
== Conclusion ==
Incognito mode won't grant you total anonymity on the web, but it does make it easy to do a bit of birthday shopping on a shared, family PC without unwittingly exposing your surprises.
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