safari private browsing still shows history

Websites can’t modify information stored on your Mac, so services normally available at such sites may work differently until you use a non-private window.

If you use Handoff, private browsing windows aren’t handed off to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or other Mac computers.Ĭhanges to your cookies and website data aren’t saved. Items you download aren’t included in the downloads list. Your recent searches aren’t included in the results list when you use the Smart Search field. Your open webpages aren’t stored in iCloud, so they aren’t shown when you view all your open tabs from other Apple devices. Webpages you visit and your AutoFill information aren’t saved. Yes, Google has all the email and searches of most power users, myself included, but there really isn't a privacy trade-off there, as it is probably more secure than most email services.In the Safari app on your Mac, choose File > New Private Window, or switch to a private browsing window that’s already open.Ī private browsing window has a dark Smart Search field with white text.īrowsing initiated in one tab is isolated from browsing initiated in another tab, so websites you visit can’t track your browsing across multiple sessions. Where you go is not public information, it is aggregate logs on huge ISPs and webservers and Google who handle millions of accounts doing billions of requests and aggregate the data in a non personally-identifiable way. If they want filtering and know how to bypass it then that's OK (under 13 should probably have it but still know how to bypass it), but if they don't then its not and is an invasion of privacy and freedom on the internet. Plus, logging IMs of someone else is just downright goofy, because if they want to say something and they don't want you to know it, they can just pick up the phone or talk to someone in person and there would be no record of it.

Those are private information, and shouldn't be logged by anyone other than the participants in the conversation. You can teach them where they should and shouldn't be on the net and whatnot, but logging where someone who is 13 or older has gone is downright creeptastic if the person is personally identifiable, which in this case they are. What if they want to do some research about their health or about something they are uncomfortable with you knowing about? Unless your kids are younger, you shouldn't be spying on them. And I've tried to explain that for the most part that anywhere any of us goes on the internet is public info anyway. I have explained to my kids how the log and all Parental Controls work so they know that where they go is basically public info. And just to clear the air, I have chosen not to use Parental Controls as a spying tool. The log will tell us if they have ignored that 'decree'.Īll in all, very useful. We do not allow our kids on the internet when we (parents) are not home. You can visit these also, and unblock them if you wish.Ĥ) The log records the date and times a site is visited. In addition, I found the log to be a very useful tool.ġ) You can link to the sites that are logged so you can see where your kids have beenĢ) For each site visited you can elect to have Parental Controls block it.ģ) There is also a log of sites that were blocked. So in an account that is subject to parental controls, Private Browsing is not so private.

In any case, when Safari is set to Private Browsing the sites visited are still logged into the Parental Controls log column. Well, since no one seems to know, or care, I did the work myself.

Safari private browsing still shows history