Go incognito

It’s easy – though each browser or app has a slightly different way of doing it. We like Computer Hope’s advice with its clear step-by-step guides to incognito for each of the main browsers. To get you started, here’s how to do it in Safari on an iPhone:

Open the Safari browser.

  1. Tap the New tab icon Safari New Tab iOS 8 to open a new tab in the browser.
  2. Tap the Private option.

iOS 7 or earlier

  1. Open the Safari browser.
  2. Tap the New tab icon Safari New Tab iOS 7 to open a new tab in the browser.
  3. Tap the Private option.

Tip: To leave Private Browsing, repeat steps 2-3 listed above.

Why should I go incognito? 

Most browsers (programmes and apps like Chrome, Firefox or Safari) and search engines (like Google or Bing) gather personal information about you from the sites you visit and what you click on or type in. They store this information in your browser history and using website cookies.

Companies can use this kind of information about you to vary the prices that they charge – for example if you’ve looked at a product before they may think you’re really interested in it and would be prepared to pay a bit more … and so the price they charge goes up. Going incognito makes it harder for websites to get this information about you and can protect you from price discrimination.

More about the Better Internetter campaign

Doteveryone’s recent People, Power and Technology report explores how the nation thinks and feels about internet technologies. It reveals five digital blindspots – areas in which people have a poor understanding of the fundamentals of how technology operates.

Be a Better Internetter is part of the action we’re taking to help people take more care of their digital lives, to understand how technology works and how it shapes the world around them.

What do you do to be a better internetter?

Share your tips with us and others on with #betterinternetter via Twitter (@doteveryoneuk) and Instagram (@betterinternetter).