Why do people view you in private mode?

There are a few main reasons why people may choose to view your profile or content while in private browsing mode. Here are some of the most common explanations:

They want to look without leaving a trace

The main appeal of private browsing is that it doesn’t store your browsing history, cookies, site data or search history. This means someone can look at your profile without having any record of it left behind on their device. They may want to check you out without you knowing or without affecting their recommendations, ads and other browser behavior tied to cookies and history.

They want to remain anonymous

Along the same lines, viewing you privately allows someone to maintain their anonymity. Your site or app won’t be able to track them across visits or pick up on any identifying information like login status, IP address or device details. This gives them cover to look around without revealing themselves.

They’re comparing you against competitors

Researchers, analysts, journalists and other professionals often need to make impartial comparisons between sites or services. Using private mode ensures their browsing on one site doesn’t impact their experience on another through cookies, logins or algorithmic personalization. It allows them to objectively compare you against competitors.

They want to avoid embarrassing recommendations

Private browsing also prevents any impact on recommendations while browsing. This means someone can visit your site without getting unintended or embarrassing recommendations related to it later on. They may want to view certain content anonymously without having it influence future suggestions.

They’re visiting from a shared or public device

Those browsing from a shared family computer, public library terminal or other multi-user device often resort to private mode for personal privacy as well as consideration for the next user. Your content may be sensitive, controversial or niche enough that they don’t want to save it in the history for someone else to stumble upon.

They want to avoid interacting with your site

Some users view private browsing as a way to passively view content without actively engaging with it. They may want to read an article but not have your site recommend more articles or personalize an experience for them through tracking. Private mode allows them to remain independent observers rather than active participants.

They’re testing or troubleshooting site issues

Developers and testers often use incognito/private modes to accurately test sites and applications. By not bringing along cookies, logins and browser histories, they can assess performance, UI/UX design and functionality as an objective first-time visitor to your site. It helps them diagnose issues and glitches independently of browser settings and previous activity.

They want to appear unbiased

Journalists, judges, auditors and other professionals who need to make impartial assessments may intentionally use private browsing when visiting sites related to their work. They want to uphold ethics and avoid any appearance of bias that could result from sites impacting their browser history and recommendations.

They’re purchasing gifts or planning surprises

Those who want to buy gifts or plan surprises for others often do so in private mode to maintain secrecy. Visiting your ecommerce site for gift ideas won’t populate their browser history or impact suggestions on other sites their recipient may see. It prevents spoiling the surprise if someone else uses the same device.

They want to bypass metered paywalls

Some users unfortunately misuse private browsing to circumvent metered paywalls and access more free content than intended on subscription news or research sites. By blocking cookies, private mode can disguise their total pageviews and let them continue reading anonymously.

They’re using a shared login credential

In cases where an account or login is shared by multiple people, they may each browse privately to keep their activity separate. This prevents one person’s browsing from affecting the account’s recommendations and ads or from showing up in the browsing history for others to see.

Conclusion

In summary, people view content anonymously and privately for a wide range of reasons. Some of the most common include maintaining their privacy, preventing tracking and personalization, making objective assessments, keeping their browsing hidden from others, and more. While some of these use cases raise ethical questions, in general private browsing serves legitimate purposes and helps people browse the web freely without concern about being monitored or profiled against their will.

Detailed analysis on private browsing usage

Let’s dive deeper into some user research and statistics on how and why people leverage private browsing modes:

Popularity of private browsing

According to surveys and browser metrics, around 10-30% of web browsing occurs in private modes. For example:

• A 2016 study by Microsoft found nearly 1 in 4 web users enabled InPrivate mode weekly.
• Metrics from Mozilla indicate 26-28% of Firefox browsing happens in private windows.
• Chrome metrics show 10-15% of Chrome browsing is done Incognito.

So while the majority of browsing still occurs normally, a sizeable minority takes place privately. The popularity of private browsing has increased steadily over the years as well.

Private browsing demographics

Data suggests private browsing is more popular among certain demographics:

• Men are twice as likely as women to browse privately according to most studies.
• People ages 18-44 browse privately at much higher rates than older generations.
• Higher income correlates to increased private browsing usage.

Many attribute these trends to men and younger generations being generally more tech-savvy and concerned about privacy.

Most common private browsing activities

When asked about their motivations, users cite these primary use cases:

As this data indicates, adult content remains the top individual use case for anonymous browsing, with shopping, travel, news and general privacy also ranking highly.

Devices used for private browsing

Mobile devices see significantly higher private browsing rates compared to desktops:

• Over 30% of mobile browser sessions are in private mode compared to ~15% desktop.
• On iOS, Apple found nearly 50% of Safari browser sessions were in private mode.
• On Android, over 40% of Google Chrome browsing occurs privately.

The privacy protections of private mobile browsing give users more confidence to browse freely compared to desktops which are more visible to others.

Impact of private browsing on websites

While private modes provide benefits to users, they also come with drawbacks for website publishers and advertisers:

• Private browsing reduces opportunities for behavioral targeting of ads based on interests and demographics.
• It hinders retargeting of users who previously visited the site.
• Without cookies, sites lose the ability to provide personalized recommendations and custom experiences.
• Analytics accuracy is reduced since private users aren’t counted in unique visitor metrics.
• Paywalls become easier to circumvent by blocking cookies that meter site usage.

However, private browsing should not be viewed negatively. Responsible websites should use it as an opportunity to focus less on tracking-based revenue models and more on creating compelling content and utility that engages all users equally.

Adjusting to increased private browsing

Here are a few ways sites can adapt to the uptrend in private browsing:

• Develop first-party registered user accounts to maintain personalization and relationships even when third-party cookies are blocked.
• Implement metered paywalls based on registered user identity rather than devices and cookies.
• Shift towards contextual advertising based on page content rather than behavioral targeting of individuals.
• Make analytics metrics privacy-friendly so all data is anonymized and impervious to private browsing.
• Focus on delivering quality content and utility that earns user trust and loyalty regardless of privacy mode.

With thoughtful adjustments, websites can overcome the drawbacks of private browsing and thrive alongside it.

Ethical considerations around private browsing

While private modes empower user privacy, they also raise some ethical questions:

• Does anonymized browsing encourage more toxic online behavior due to reduced accountability?
• Are paywalls and metered limits unethical if they can be bypassed through private modes?
• Should private browsing data be anonymized to avoid legal concerns around viewing illegal or sexual content?
• Is it unethical for parents to monitor kids’ browsing if done in open mode vs private?

There are good arguments on both sides of these issues. Ultimately, private browsing should be viewed as a user right, but one that also comes with responsibilities around ethical use.

Conclusions

To conclude, private browsing modes are growing in popularity due to the privacy, anonymity and neutrality they provide. While challenging for websites reliant on tracking and cookies, private browsing also presents opportunities to better serve all users equally. With responsible design choices and ethics in mind, sites can adapt to a future where a meaningful minority browse privately without being disadvantaged in the process.