Incognito mode won’t hide your browsing from your internet provider

September 27, 2026

By Kim Komando

“Kim, I listen to your show on KTAR. I have a question. If I use incognito mode, does my internet company still see the sites I visit and track me?” — Mike in Phoenix

Mike, pull up a chair. Short answer? Yes. Incognito keeps your history off the computer. Your provider still sees it all.

Every click in your home runs through the internet service provider’s pipes. In 2017, Congress killed FCC rules that would’ve forced providers to get your permission before sharing your data. It’s been open season ever since.

Here’s the kicker. When the FTC dug into the six biggest providers, it found several promised not to sell your data, then let it be used, shared and monetized by others anyway. The fine print does the dirty work. (Classic.)

📋 What your ISP can see

• Every site every device in your house visits, and exactly when. That little padlock hides what’s on the page, not the name of the site.
• How long you stay and how much you download.
• Which apps you use and, if they’re also your TV company, what you watch.
• Your real-time location if they’re your cell carrier, too.
• And yes, the adult sites. Incognito won’t hide them. The site name, the time stamp and the device are right there on their end.

It gets worse. The FTC found some providers sort customers into sensitive buckets like race and sexual orientation to target ads. Carrier location data ended up with car salesmen, property managers, bail bondsmen and bounty hunters. Bounty hunters! Without customers knowing.

That’s your privacy walking out the door.

🔒 Lock it down

1. Dig into privacy settings. Log in to your provider’s account online and find the privacy settings. Opt out of everything. FYI, it’s usually buried. Keep clicking.
2. Turn on secure DNS in your browser. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Security > Use secure DNS. It hides some addresses you look up.
3. Use a VPN. It wraps everything leaving your home in an encrypted tunnel. Your provider sees one thing: that you’re connected to a VPN. Not the sites. Not the time you spent there. Nothing to package up and pass along.

I tested all the big ones before picking the official VPN of The Kim Komando Show. That’s NordVPN. It’s the VPN I use and so does my entire family.

Here’s what you get:

• One account covers up to 10 devices, so the whole family’s protected.
• A no-logs policy that auditors have checked six times, so there’s no browsing history to hand over.
• Threat Protection blocks dangerous sites, trackers and ads.
• If you travel, flip it on in hotels, airports and coffee shops. Public Wi-Fi is a hacker’s playground.

✅ Right now, get up to 76% off a 2-year plan. That’s only $3.37 a month, plus 4 extra months. Grab the deal here.*

🗣️ Text/post this stat: Incognito mode hides your browsing from your family, not from your internet company. Get tips like this free at GetKim.com.

📩 Send this to someone who thinks incognito mode makes them invisible.