Chrome Incognito Tests Blocking Canvas Fingerprinting to Improve Privacy
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After separating AI Mode from Incognito in Chrome, Google is quietly working on a new defense for Incognito browsing.
Some websites use invisible background images to track people, even when cookies are disabled. The technique, known as fingerprinting, relies on tiny differences in how each device draws these hidden images to create a unique ID for users.
Google tests blocking canvas fingerprinting in Chrome Incognito
Google is now testing a new feature in Chrome canary that “Enable blocking canvas readbacks in Incognito.” When this feature is enabled, Chrome will block sites from reading these hidden images. If a script tries to pull the data, the browser will throw an error instead.
Incognito is meant to give users more privacy, but tracking methods like fingerprinting have made it less private than many expect. By cutting off this trick, Chrome makes it harder for sites to follow users around the web during a private session.
Right now, the protection is only available as a hidden flag in Chrome Canary. If it works well, it could roll out giving Incognito mode an extra layer of privacy that users have been asking for.
That’s not all. Chrome is working on a new email verification protocol and removing clipboard permissions for inactive sites.
Additionally, Chrome may also restore tabs after a crash on restart and add touch drag-and-drop support on Windows.
