When we’re in incognito, we always feel protected, safe and powerful. There’s even the feeling that we can do anything we want without ever being detected. Except, we never were. Or so says Google and Facebook. This may be shocking to some but watching porn with the private browsing and incognito mode setting turned on is not actually that private or incognito. Yeap, you read that right.
According to The Star, an author of a recent study on privacy standards of porn websites, tech giants such as Google and Facebook are still be able to track down your porn watching activities, even in incognito mode. Uh oh.
The study, titled “Tracking sex: The Implications Of Widespread Sexual Data Leakage And Tracking On Porn Websites”, analyzed 22,484 pornography websites and found that 93% leaked user data to third parties.
The research found that Google (and its subsidiaries) had trackers on 74% of the porn sites, Facebook on 10% and Oracle on 24%.
However, a Google spokeswoman told The New York Times that it does not use the information to build advertising profiles. Whew, that’s a relief. Right?
“We don’t allow Google Ads on websites with adult content, and we prohibit personalised advertising and advertising profiles based on a user’s sexual interest or related activities online. Additionally, tags for our ad services are never allowed to transmit personally identifiable information,” said the spokeswoman.
Despite a similar statement given by Facebook, Oracle, on the other hand, did not respond to the New York Times.
Although it is not clear what the data is being used for, the authors warned that the collection of this type of data is dangerous and can be used against a person. For instance, the data could be used to damage the reputation of a public figure.
“These risks are heightened for vulnerable populations whose porn usage might be classified as non-normative or contrary to their public life,” said the authors.
According to an interview with the New York Times, one of the authors, Elena Maris from Microsoft Research, said that the mechanism used for adult site tracking is similar to online stores, and it should be a huge red flag, as it’s much more specific and deeply personal.
There are also security concerns, as hackers have previously stolen email addresses, passwords, usernames, and credit card information from some of the sites.
“Porn sites currently operate with an unethical definition of sexual consent considering the sensitive sexual data they hold. We contend the overwhelming leakiness and sexual exposure revealed in our results mean porn sites ought to better account for user security as well as adopt policies based on affirmative consent,” said the authors.
They said regulatory intervention could provide better protection, adding that the European Union’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) for online tracking more closely matches norms for sexual consent by emphasizing that consent must be affirmative and freely given.
So guys, be mindful of what you’re doing on the internet. Going incognito does not mean that you’re safe. 
Also read: Woman Watches Porn, Discovers Couple in Video Were Her Parents When They Were Younger
