[Santosh83]

Why is private browsing mode not emptying the cache then? Seems to be contrary to the very purpose of the mode...

[pdkl95]

Private browsing mode wasn't (originally) intended to to prevent tracking by websites. It's goal was to keep your browsing history locally private. (i.e. keep your pr0n viewing out of the local browsing history so your friends wouldn't see what kind of porn you like when they borrow your laptop to check their email.

That definition has expanded a bit (very) recently, but preventing website tracking is usually a separate feature (adblockers, noscript, automatic cookie deletion tools, firefox's recent "tracking blocker").

[paulddraper]

Private browsing was and still is mostly about hiding from other users on the device, not hiding from the people you are connecting to.

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You’ve gone incognito,

Now you can browse privately, and other people who use this device won’t see your activity.

Your activity might still be visible to:

* Websites you visit

* Your employer or school

* Your internet service provider