Microsoft Patents Auto ‘Private Browsing’ Mode for Edge

Microsoft has apparently filed a patent for an automatic ‘private browsing’ mode switch for their Edge browsers. The browser which originally came with Windows 10 has its own incognito mode the same as Firefox or Chrome. However, this new patent application does not necessitate the need to enter private browsing mode before browsing. It intelligently enters private browsing automatically if the type of website visited falls under a preset criteria. It will even allow users to specify custom risk categorizations for different types of content, domains or websites. This feature is extremely useful for those who share a PC with another person. Especially if they are forgetful and do not go to incognito mode all the time.

Privacy Concerns

There are of course, questions of privacy when it comes to this technology. The list of websites are stored on the user’s PC or via a cloud service. Moreover, Microsoft’s inPrivate feature is not exactly fool-proof and actually did not keep things private when it launched. For now it is just a patent application and there are no announcements of when or if this is rolling out. As handy as an automated private browsing mode is, it is not quite as effective as just being vigilant when it comes to covering browsing tracks.