Technology

Google finally admits data collection in Chrome's 'incognito' mode

Published

2 years ago

January 20, 2024

Google finally admits data collection in Chrome's 'incognito' mode

Google is finally revealing it is collecting your data if you use Google Chrome, even if you use incognito mode. This comes after the internet giant agreed to settle for $5 billion to avoid a 2020 lawsuit.

The lawsuit claimed Google collected information like your IP address, device data and even browser history — despite incognito mode seemingly offering a private browsing experience. Google claimed it warned users about websites potentially tracking user activity in order to dismiss the lawsuit.

However, a judge ruled that Google never explicitly told users it was tracking them and collecting information. And if users weren’t aware, they couldn’t consent to data collection.

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What’s happened since Google agreed to settle the lawsuit

Google Chrome on smartphone. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Since Google agreed to settle last month, two major developments have happened: Google has updated its disclaimer in incognito mode, according to MSPowerUser, and lawyers have been working to finalize a settlement.

So far, Google has only updated the disclaimer in its Canary developer tool on Windows, Android and other devices. If you use it and go into incognito mode, you’ll see a message that says:

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“Others who use this device won’t see your activity, so you can browse more privately. This won’t change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google. Downloads, bookmarks and reading list items will be saved.”

Google Chrome Incognito Mode. (Google)

Lawyers also have until Feb. 24 to present the court with a finalized settlement agreement. Plaintiffs originally wanted $5,000 in damages per user for violating federal wiretapping and California privacy laws.

We reached out to Google, and a spokesperson released this statement to Cyberguy:

“Incognito mode in Chrome will continue to give people the choice to browse the internet without their activity being saved to their browser or device.”

MORE: HOMELAND SECURITY WARNS FEDERAL AGENCIES OF HACKERS TARGETING GOOGLE CHROME AND EXCEL SPREADSHEETS

How to stay private when browsing the internet

Keeping your information private while browsing the internet can be a tough task. However, here are some easy ways to keep your data away from any prying eyes:

Turn off “web & app” activity

“Web & App” Activity is basically Google’s main tool to collect your data. Google assumes you have given them access to your online activity when this setting is on. Google claims it does not sell your personal information to anyone. However, Google may use your activity data to show you personalized ads on Google sites and apps and on sites and apps that partner with Google to show ads.

How to turn “web & app” activity off using a Mac

On the Google Chrome page, click on your icon in the top right corner and select Manage your Google Account, or click on this link
In the top left, click on Data & Privacy
Scroll down and find the box that says History Settings
In the box, the first row says Web & App Activity; Click on the blue check next to the word On
Find the box that says Web & App Activity and click Turn Off on the right
Select Turn off and Delete activity
Click Next in the bottom right
Select any Google products you wish to delete your activity by selecting its respective box to the right, checking it off, or clicking Select All in the top right to delete all activity
Click Next and then Delete once you have confirmed you want to delete. Then tap Got it.

Turning “web & app” activity off using a PC

On the Google Chrome page, go to Activity controls in a web browser. To turn off web and app activity on your PC, you can access your Activity Controls in a web browser. If you’re not signed in to your Google account, you’ll be prompted to do so
Click Turn Off under “Web & App Activity.” You’ll see this option near the top of the page
Scroll down and click the Pause button. You won’t be able to click Pause until you’ve scrolled to the bottom of the page. This pauses your web and search activity until you enable it again. To delete your Web & App Activity history, click Delete old activity under “Setting is Off” and then select a time range. Click Got It when you’re finished to return to the previous screen.

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How to turn “web & app” activity off using iPhone

On the Google home page, click on your icon in the top right corner
Select Google Account or click on this link
Then tap Data & Privacy near the top of the screen
Scroll down and find the box that says History Settings

Google Account page. (Google)

In the box, the first row says Web & App Activity; Click on the > icon
Find the box that says Web & App Activity and click Turn Off on the right
Select Turn off and Delete activity
Click Next in the bottom right
Select any Google products you wish to delete your activity by selecting its respective box to the right, checking it off, or clicking Select All in the top right to delete all activity
Click Next and then Delete once you have confirmed you want to delete. Then tap Got it.

How to turn “web & app” activity off using Android

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.

On the Google home page, click on your icon in the top right corner
Select Google Account, or click on this link
Click on Data & Privacy
Scroll down and find the box that says History Settings
Find the row that says Web & App Activity and click the > icon
Find the box that says Web & App Activity and click Turn Off on the right
Select Turn off and Delete activity
Click Next in the bottom right
Select any Google products you wish to delete your activity by selecting its respective box to the right, checking it off, or clicking Select All in the top right to delete all activity
Click Next and then Delete once you have confirmed you want to delete. Then tap Got it.

Limit data sharing with sites and services

While there are many valid reasons for allowing Google to give third-party apps and services access to your data, it puts your privacy at risk. Google can track whenever you sign in to another app with your Google sign-in and which service.

How to turn off data sharing with sites and services on Mac

On the Google Chrome page, click on your icon in the top right corner and select Manage your Google Account, or click on this link
In the top left, click on Data & Privacy
Scroll down and find the box under the heading Data from apps and services you use
Click on Third-party apps & services
Select any apps you wish to get rid of Google’s connections with
Click the box on the bottom that says Delete all connections you have with [website] and click confirm

Turning off data sharing with sites and services on PC

On the Google Chrome page, click the menu icon (three dots) in the top right corner and select Settings
Then, click Privacy and security

Google Settings page. (Google)

Next, tap Site settings
Here, you can manage how Chrome handles cookies, location, camera, microphone, notifications, and other permissions for different sites
You can also clear your browsing data and disable third-party services from accessing your data

How to turn off data sharing with sites and services on iPhone

On the Google home page, click on your icon in the top right corner and select your
Select Google Account, Or click on this link
Click on Data & Privacy
Scroll down and find the box under the heading Data from apps and services you use
Click on Third-party apps & services
Scroll down and select any apps you wish to get rid of Google’s connections with by clicking on it
Next, scroll down and click the box on the bottom that says Delete all connections you have with [website] and click confirm

How to turn off data sharing with sites and services on Android

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.

On the Google home page, click on your icon in the top right corner
Select Google Account, or click on this link
Click on Data & Privacy
Scroll down and find the box under the heading Data from apps and services you use
Click on Third-party apps & services
Select any apps you wish to get rid of Google’s connections with by clicking on it
Click the box on the bottom that says Delete all connections you have with [website] and click confirm

Turn off Location History

Google can track the places you go and collect your location data. However, the tricky thing with this setting is that you must have Web & App activity turned off for your Location History to be fully turned off.

How to turn off Location History on Mac

On the Google Chrome page, click on your icon in the top right corner and select Manage your Google Account, or click on this link
In the top left, click on Data & Privacy
Scroll down and find the box that says History Settings
Click on the row that says Location History
Click on the box that says Turn off
Select Turn off again and then Got it

MORE: HOW TO CHECK THAT YOU’RE NOT ACCIDENTALLY SHARING YOUR LOCATION

How to turn off “web & app” activity using a PC

On the Google Chrome page, go to Activity controls in a web browser. To turn off web and app activity on your PC, you can access your Activity Controls in a web browser. If you’re not signed in to your Google account, you’ll be prompted to do so
Click Turn Off under “Web & App Activity.” You’ll see this option near the top of the page
Scroll down and click the Pause button. You won’t be able to click Pause until you’ve scrolled to the bottom of the page. This pauses your web and search activity until you enable it again. To delete your Web & App Activity history, click Delete old activity under “Setting is Off” and then select a time range. Click Got It when you’re finished to return to the previous screen

How to turn Location History off on iPhone

On the Google home page, click on your icon in the top right corner
Select your Google Account or click on this link
At the top, click on Data & Privacy
Scroll down and find the box that says History Settings
Click on the row that says Location History

Google Location History setting. (Google)

Click on the box that says Turn off
Select Turn off again and then Got it

How to turn off Location History on Android

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.

On the Google home page, click on your icon in the top right corner
Select Google Account, or click on this link
Click on Data & Privacy
Scroll down and find the box that says History Settings
Click on the row that says Location History
Click on the box that says Turn off
Select Turn off again and then Got it

Stop targeted ads

Google’s targeted ads can be a bit too specific for comfort, but there is a way to turn them off:

How to stop targeted ads on Mac

On the Google Chrome page, click on your icon in the top right corner and select Manage your Google Account, or click on this link
In the top left, click on Data & Privacy
Find the box that is titled Personalized ads and click on My Ad Center
In the top right corner, click on the box that says Personalized ads, and then click on Turn Off in the bottom right of the next box. Then tap Got it

How to stop targeted ads on iPhone

On the Google home page, click on your icon in the top right corner
Select Google Account, or click on this link
Click on Data & Privacy
Find the box that is titled Personalized Ads and click on My Ad Center
In the top right corner, click where it says On
Then on the bottom right, click where it says Turn Off
Then tap Got it

How to stop targeted ads on Android

On the Google home page, click on your icon in the top right corner
Select Google Account, or click on this link
Click on Data & Privacy
Find the box that is titled Personalized ads and click on My Ad Center
In the top right corner, click where it says ON next to Personalized ads
Scroll down and click Turn Off in the bottom right
Then click Got it

Person on Google home page. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MORE: WAS YOUR PRIVATE DATA BEING SOLD ON THIS DARK WEB MARKETPLACE

Use a VPN for better privacy

Consider using a VPN to protect against being tracked and to identify your potential location on websites that you visit. Many sites can read your IP address and, depending on their privacy settings, may display the city from which you are corresponding. A VPN will disguise your IP address to show an alternate location. See my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices.

Kurt’s key takeaways

While it can be exhausting taking so many precautions to protect your data, it really pays off at the end of the day. Taking a few steps can make all the difference. But by not protecting yourself, you are leaving yourself susceptible to data collection, targeted ads and even worse. At the end of the day, protecting your privacy is your responsibility.

How do you protect yourself from data collection? Are you worried about Google collecting your data? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.

Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions:

Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Asus just announced the OLED Xbox Ally X of my dreams

Published

3 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Asus just announced the OLED Xbox Ally X of my dreams

If you asked me what I’d change about the Xbox Ally X handheld — aside from fixing Windows, I mean — I’d tell you two key things.

First, give me a bigger, better screen. Even a little bit bigger, so games feel less claustrophobic and with less ugly bezel. Second, get rid of the “Library” button. I am so tired of an accidental press booting me out of my game and into the Xbox library without a simple way to get back.

With the just-announced ROG Xbox Ally X20, Asus did both — and then some. It’s now a slick translucent handheld with drift-resistant GuliKit TMR joysticks, a transforming D-pad that goes from 8-way to 4-way by dropping its corners when you rotate it, button tweaks, haptic feedback tweaks, fan tweaks… and what could now be the best screen on a handheld yet.

Image: Asus

Not only does the Xbox Ally X20 upgrade from an 7-inch IPS display to a 7.4-inch 120Hz OLED at the same performance-friendly 1080p resolution, the screen sounds fantastic. It’s a 600-nit panel in SDR with HDR peaks of 1400 nits, even higher than the Lenovo Legion Go 2, though both are certified VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 1000. And, it supports Dolby Vision.

Image: Asus

Like the Legion Go 2, it’s also got an improved variable refresh rate (VRR) that goes down to 30Hz instead of the 48Hz on the original Ally, which could make games feel smoother when the AMD Z2 Extreme chip can’t quite make a game hit 48fps to begin with. It’s the same chips here as in the original Xbox Ally X, by the way: AMD Z2 Extreme, with 24GB of 8000MT/sec RAM and 1TB of storage.

The handheld is slightly bigger to help accommodate the changes: 9mm wider, half a millimeter thicker, and 41 grams heavier.

Not only is that “Library” button gone, it’s been replaced with a new “Action” button that sounds genuinely useful: It’ll take a screenshot with a single press or a recording with a long press, like today’s console controllers typically do.

The corners drop when you rotate the D-pad.

Image: Asus

The ABXY buttons now sit flush against the casing when you press them down, the bumper switches are relocated and have a longer, quieter throw for better feedback, and the fans have been slightly redesigned to channel more fresh air through the chassis for lower touchscreen temps, Asus spokesperson Anthony Spence tells me.

Plus, the Xbox button now lights up green, which just sounds cool — and it has a far faster microSD Express card slot, like the Nintendo Switch 2.

Image: Asus

What’s not so cool, and frankly doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, is that Asus won’t let you buy it alone. This holiday, it’ll exclusively come as part of a bundle with a pair of Asus and Xreal’s pricey R1 glasses, which (at $849) cost almost as much as a $1,000 Xbox Ally X all by themselves.

Asus isn’t pricing the bundle yet, but I suspect the bundle is more to help cushion the high price of the handheld — at a time every other handheld is getting pricier — rather than to help sell glasses at a discount.

Image: Asus

I actually think a set of Xreal glasses are a good way to improve on smaller, more claustrophobic handheld screens, but if I’m buying a new Ally to get a better screen, do I really need the glasses too?

I guess I’ll dream on. For what it’s worth, Spence says he still hasn’t heard of any plans to increase the price of the original Xbox Ally X. It’s still at $1,000 for now. I’ve asked whether Asus will offer a way to remap the original handheld’s Library button, too.

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Sean Hollister

Technology

Your senior parents are easier to impersonate than you are

Published

4 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Your senior parents are easier to impersonate than you are

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Americans 60 and older filed 201,266 complaints with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2025 and reported $7.7 billion in losses, the highest total of any age group. The average loss for older victims was nearly $38,500, almost double the figure for younger filers. The Federal Trade Commission’s December 2025 report to Congress estimated that the overall cost of fraud to older adults in 2024 ranged from $10.1 billion to $81.5 billion, depending on how underreporting is measured.

Two decades of breach dumps now sit between your parents and the systems still verifying them by date of birth, mailing address and the last four of a Social Security number. The same fields clear a bank’s call center, and they’re enough to register a Medicare account that your parents haven’t claimed online. Locking those checks down has fallen to the adult children. Most of it is an afternoon’s work.

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YOU HAVE A CREDIT FREEZE. IT STILL ISN’T ENOUGH

Older adults often have more financial, medical and government accounts for scammers to target. (Ljubaphoto/Getty Images)

Why older parents face higher identity theft risks

Older parents hold accounts at more institutions than their adult children do: banks, brokerages, Medicare, Social Security, pension administrators and mortgage holders. Each has its own verification process. A scammer who clears one of them finds a larger balance waiting on the other side.

Combined losses reported by older adults who lost more than $100,000 climbed from $55 million in 2020 to $445 million in 2024, an eightfold jump according to the FTC.

AI voice cloning has made phone calls one more verification step a scammer can clear. The FBI counted $893 million in AI-related scam losses in 2025, with victims 60 and over accounting for $352 million. A few seconds of public audio, whether from a voicemail greeting, a church livestream or a TikTok comment, is enough to recreate a grandchild’s voice on a phone call to a parent.

Before you start locking anything down, sit down with your parent and make sure they understand each step. The goal is to help them stay protected, not take control away from them.

Start with credit, tax and mail protections

All four steps below run through the credit bureaus, the IRS or USPS. Each is free and takes under fifteen minutes.

Freeze their credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Each bureau is handled separately. Freezes have been free since 2018 and can be lifted online when they apply for credit.
Pull an IRS Identity Protection PIN for them at irs.gov/ippin. The six-digit PIN blocks fraudulent federal tax returns filed against their SSN, and a new PIN is issued each calendar year.
Enroll them in USPS Informed Delivery before someone else does. Postal inspectors have flagged cases where criminals registered victims at usps.com to preview valuable mail, including replacement credit cards and benefit letters.
Opt them out of pre-screened credit offers at optoutprescreen.com. A mailed form makes the opt-out permanent.

A credit freeze blocks new credit applications. An IP PIN blocks fraudulent tax returns. Neither keeps an eye on credit files after the fact, so consider adding credit monitoring for all three bureaus. Alerts can help your family spot suspicious activity faster and decide which account to lock down first.

HOSPICE FRAUD USES STOLEN IDENTITIES FOR FAKE PATIENTS

A credit freeze, IRS Identity Protection PIN and USPS Informed Delivery can help block common identity theft moves. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Claim federal accounts before scammers do

Pre-register a my Social Security account at ssa.gov in their name. Do the same at MyMedicare.gov if they qualify. Once those accounts exist, no one else can open them using their SSN. State Medicaid portals work the same way.

Also, help them turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for important accounts and store passwords in a trusted password manager. Reused passwords make it easier for scammers to move from one exposed account to another.

Medicare Summary Notices arrive quarterly when there are covered services. Read each one with your parents for charges they don’t recognize. The Senior Medicare Patrol, a federally funded program in every state, will walk through suspicious billing with families at no charge.

In a Medi-Cal hospice case charged this April in California, prosecutors said operators bought SSNs from breach dumps and enrolled non-California residents as terminally ill hospice patients, then billed the state for visits that never happened. The fraud first appeared in beneficiary statements.

Credit monitoring can also help spot signs that personal information has already surfaced online. Some services scan the dark web, data broker sites and people-search sites for Social Security numbers, addresses, driver’s license numbers and other identifiers. Alerts can show what was found and where, helping you decide which account to lock down first.

Create a family script for suspicious calls

None of the protections above stops a phone call. Two small habits can help.

Set a family code word. If a grandchild calls in trouble and cannot say the word, the call ends. The code is a fact that no voice cloning model can guess from public audio.
Write down what real federal agencies never do. The Social Security Administration, the IRS and Medicare do not place out-of-the-blue calls asking for a full SSN, demand payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency or threaten arrest. Tape that list near the phone. Any caller who breaks one of those rules is a scammer.

A family code word can help stop AI voice-cloning scams before money or personal information changes hands. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

What to do if identity fraud appears

A financial power of attorney signed in advance authorizes an adult child to handle bills, disputes and account changes on a parent’s behalf. With one in hand, the day-one fraud response can run without the parent on every call: pull all three credit reports, file at IdentityTheft.gov, place fraud alerts at each bureau and contact the affected creditor in writing.

Some identity theft protection services also include fraud resolution support. A specialist may help work with credit bureaus, creditors and collection agencies if someone misuses your information. Some plans also include identity theft insurance for eligible recovery costs and family coverage that can extend monitoring and support to parents in another household.

No service prevents every misuse of an older adult’s identity. The settings above shorten the time between when fraud happens and when someone in the family acts on it.

See my tips and best picks on Best Identity Theft Protection at CyberGuy.com.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Protecting an older parent’s identity does not require a tech overhaul. It starts with a few smart moves: freeze their credit, claim key government accounts, set up an IRS IP PIN and agree on a family code word for suspicious calls. These steps can make it much harder for scammers to use stolen personal information before anyone notices. The bigger issue is that many systems still rely on information criminals may already have, such as birthdays, addresses and partial Social Security numbers. That puts more pressure on families to act early, monitor accounts and respond fast when something looks wrong. A little preparation now can save your parents from months of stress, financial damage and paperwork later.

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Have you or an older loved one dealt with identity theft, Medicare fraud or a suspicious phone call that sounded real? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

AMD’s new pitch: our old tech is so good you should just keep using it

Published

14 hours ago

May 31, 2026

Press Room

AMD’s new pitch: our old tech is so good you should just keep using it

But for desktop PC gamers, AMD has a different pitch. It’s relaunching three old components alongside a big new promise: you won’t need to buy a new motherboard until 2030.

Today, AMD is promising it will keep supporting its AM5 desktop motherboard socket with new Ryzen processors through 2029, which likely means you can keep upgrading to newer CPUs till the end of the decade without changing your board.

Even if you’re still on the older AM4 socket, you may have one last upgrade left: it’s relaunching a “10th Anniversary” edition of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D to celebrate the 10th anniversary of that AM4 platform. That’ll be $349 on June 25th.

And if you decide now’s the time to switch to AMD or the AM5 socket, the company’s got a new old chip for that too: a $330 Ryzen 7 7700X3D, likely a binned version of the existing 7800X3D. The beefier chip costs $380 to $450, though can occasionally be found at $320. On paper, the 7700X3D looks only slightly slower:

Meanwhile in the GPU realm, AMD’s finally bringing its formerly China-exclusive Radeon RX 9070 GRE to other countries including the US, starting June 1st for $549.

That’s not quite as friendly for PC gamers to hear, as $549 was supposed to be the starting price for the notably more powerful RX 9070, not the cut-down GRE version which trails the RTX 5070.

AMD’s making an interesting pitch at a time that everything, especially gaming, is beginning to feel too expensive. Does it convince you?