Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is always an interesting interview — after all, he’s never shied away from offering quirky and memorable quotes in the past — and The Daily Dot has now revealed another memorable Schmidt moment. It turns out the top Google exec has no idea how one of Google’s most important products works when it comes to protecting your privacy while you’re using the Internet.
FROM EARLIER: Eric Schmidt swipes back at Cook, says Google is ‘far more secure’ than Apple
In an interview at the Cato Institute in Washington D.C., Schmidt was not able to properly explain what the Incognito mode of the widely used Chrome browser can do for Internet users.
“If you’re concerned, for whatever reason, you do not wish to be tracked by federal and state authorities, my strong recommendation is to use incognito mode, and that’s what people do,” Schmidt said when asked whether Google receives more detailed information from Chrome that other browsers do not give out and whether such information can be accessed by law enforcement.
Incognito mode simply hides the online activity of the user when it comes to other people accessing browsing history and can prevent sites from tracking users by deleting cookies. However, ISPs would still know what sites a certain IP address accessed, even if in Incognito.
In fact, Chrome even has a warning explaining how this privacy-enhancing mode works and it clearly states that “going incognito doesn’t hide your browsing from your employer, your internet service provider or the websites your visit.”
