[clug] Private Browsing?

Bob Edwards bob at cs.anu.edu.au
Mon Jun 24 01:12:14 UTC 2019


On 24/6/19 10:22 am, Eyal Lebedinsky via linux wrote:
> On 24/06/2019 10.09, jhock--- via linux wrote:
>> Hi Elay,
>>
>> I use ToR browser and don't have this problem. I think, and I'm happy 
>> to be corrected, that your history is being tracked by cookies. Maybe 
>> you could try deleting all cookies, turn off cookies and run the same 
>> tests to see if the results change.
> 
> I clearly stated that I cleared everything, using the preferences tab:
>      Privacy & Security
>      Clear Data
>          Cookies and Site Data
>          Caches Web Content
>      Clear History
> 
> One possibility is that some history is kept by the PB window. Visiting 
> eBay in
> the standard window does NOT show my recently viewed while the PB window 
> shows it.
> Is there a different history repository kept by the PB window?
> 

Hi Eyal,

I would agree with your assessment as to what is happening here. Kind
of makes sense. The PB window creates an alternate cookie etc. store
and doesn't share that with your main session, or with other PB
sessions, but will retain it until the PB window is closed.

You do need cookies to work, even within a PB session, otherwise you'll
break the web.

Whether that PB cookie etc. store exists on disk or in memory, I don't
know (but it's all open-source, so we could take a look...).

cheers,
Bob Edwards.

>> John.
>>
>> On 24 June 2019 09:21:29 GMT+10:00, Eyal Lebedinsky via linux 
>> <linux at lists.samba.org> wrote:
>>> Something I notice when using firefox (FF) is that some sites remember
>>> me or my history,
>>> and FF seems to be aiding this. I want to understand what is going on.
>>>
>>> For example, I go to ebay, browse some items, and a panel shows "Your
>>> Recently Viewed Items".
>>> I close that tab and open one again and it still remembers this (never
>>> logged in). OK.
>>>
>>> I now start ff, then add a Private Browsing (PB) window and open ebay,
>>> browse items in a few tabs,
>>> close the ebay tabs (PB window left open) and clear data and history
>>> (via preferences, showing zero
>>> cookies, data and cache).
>>>   -> A new ebay tab still shows the history.
>>>
>>> I now close the PB window (FF still running) and open a new PB window.
>>>   -> A new ebay tab does not show the history.
>>>
>>> It seems that what I do with FF allows the site to remember or forget
>>> my browsing, regardless of
>>> clearing history/data. What else can I clear?
>>>
>>> My question is: where/how is this history kept?
>>>
>>> TIA
>>
> 
> 




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