Benefits of Private Browsing

Dependant upon which browser you use there is a feature for Private (inPrivate, Incognito Mode) browsing. This feature provides improved privacy when browsing the internet. As an employee at CCPS there are some specific benefits that the use of this feature provides.

How does a browser normally behave

Typically a browser stores data as you access various locations on the internet. This data can be stored as history, cookies, logs, cache, or passwords and autocompletion data for forms. This stored data is what allows you to access websites faster, but can also put your accounts at risk if you use a system that is a public device.

What private browsing does

When you use a Private Browser session this data is destroyed once you completely exit out of a private browsing session. Cookies may be stored so long as the private session is open allowing you to log in to sites and use features such as shopping carts. When you completely close out the private session the next person to use the workstation will not see any of your data which will assist in keeping your accounts secure.

How does this benefit a CCPS employee

As a CCPS employee you may have a dedicated workstation or laptop system. On this system normal browsing is sufficient. At times you may need to use a system which is not dedicated to you such as a lab workstation, or even another employee’s workstation. In these scenarios where you are accessing a public or shared workstation you should utilize the private browsing feature.

This will ensure that data, such as your OneDrive or department SharePoint files, will be protected and others will not be able to use your account. This could also allow you to log into your account without having to log any other users accounts out, in the case that you were accessing a file on a co-workers system.

How do I access a private browsing session

If you are a keyboard shortcut person you can use CTRL+SHIFT+P in most browsers. In Google Chrome you would use CTRL+SHIFT+N. You can also launch a private browser session from the toolbars in any browser. I have included images below to show you this method in the common browsers supported in a CCPS environment.