this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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Privacy
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Chrome now won't open an incognito window unless you're signed into a regular window.
If you try, it just opens a regular window and tells you to sign in.
“Trust us. It’s just necessary so we can make sure we’re not tracking you.”
As someone who's not used Chrome for a while, what does it mean to be "signed into a regular widow"? Does it mean signed in to a Google account with cookies that can be seen by a regular browser tab, or is there some login process to the actual browser itself these days?
Yeah, I got signed out when the new tracking updates went live, figured I'd just use incognito.
But I couldn't even open an incognito window, it kept bringing up a normal one and saying I had to sign in to use chrome.
So I downloaded Firefox.
Sign in to what though? That's what I still don't understand, I've never used a browser that had a mandatory account (except maybe AOL in the 90s but that wasn't really a browser)..
But of course, downloading Firefox is definitely the right choice. :)
they are claiming that you have to be signed into chrome, the browser, in order to open an incognito window.
yea, it sounds a little crazy. i don't use chrome, so i can't confirm that's the case. i haven't run into any articles claiming this either, just this post and one other elsewhere awhile back that does.
OK then this is my culture shock because I've never "signed in" to a browser in my life. All I want to know is what are people signing in to?
Likely related to that lawsuit they're dealing with
Are you talking about the "Make Chrome your own" page that walks you through a few customization options before asking if you want to sign in? You can just select "No thanks" and you're not signed in. Incognito windows work just fine.
Or are you talking about the "Set up your new Chrome profile" screen that pops up when you make a new profile? It shows two options: Sign in [to Google] and "Continue without an account". "Continue without an account" just has you name the new profile to distinguish it from any others you may have and then lets you start using it. Incognito windows work just fine.
This is Chrome on the desktop by the way.
Works just fine in Chromium.
Works even better in Firefox.