When being investigated for certain types of criminal activity, the police may want to see records of your computer usage, including sites you visited or searches that you’ve run. This could be true if you’re accused of white-collar crimes, such as embezzlement or wire fraud, and it could also be true for some online sex crimes.
Either way, you may think that using private browsing mode means that you haven’t left any digital information for the police to analyze. If you set your browser to private, after all, the next time you use it, there are no records of any sites that you visited. But it’s very important to remember that these records still exist, regardless of how you set up your browser.
So, what does a “private” browser do?
Using private browsing mode just means that the browser itself isn’t going to store the records. Locally, they get deleted each time you close the window.
But that is only local. The police may not be able to see your history on your computer, but they could still contact your internet service provider. It likely tracks the sites that you visit and your online activity, even if your home computer doesn’t.
Moreover, if you’re on any type of computer network, that may also track your activity. This could be pertinent for white-collar crimes if you were using a workplace computer at the time, for instance. Or perhaps you are a college student who has been accused of internet sex crimes and you were using a university computer. Those records may still be accessible, even if they’re not held within the browser.
Computer-based evidence can be very complex, and it’s important to know exactly what legal defense options you have if you’re facing serious charges.
