Mozilla: 10-minute ''Private Browsing'' Spikes Common Occurrence At Lunchtimes
What time of day do Firefox users switch to "porn mode"?
Mozilla's private browsing mode is very commonly referred to as 'porn mode.' Considering this, it doesn't take a genius to figure out the conclusion most people jumped to when the results of Mozilla study revealed that most people are using it for roughly 10 minute periods at lunchtime.
Mozilla yesterday revealed the findings of a test pilot study detailing at what point people switch on private browsing, and for how long. Though Mozilla obviously didn't record what users were doing during their private browsing and the study was done on an opt-in basis for Firefox 4 Beta users, the results do provide some insight into when people are browsing the web anonymously and when they're happy to have Mozilla record their history.
Mozilla says they see spikes in private browsing at lunchtime, around the time people arrive home from work and school, after dinner, and for an hour or two after midnight.
"The 25th percentile stays on for about 4 and a half minutes, the 75th percentile around 22 minutes, and the median stays in for about 10 minutes.
This trend appears to hold over the entire course of the day, with the notable exception of 5pm. For some reason the median and lower quantiles are lower than the other hours."
Though it's certainly possible (and a lot of fun to assume) that people are switching to private browsing mode to look at naughty websites, it's also possible that overall browser use goes up at lunchtime, when people have more time to browse the web. It's also plausible that people are more inclined to engage in online shopping or banking during their lunch period and want to keep their bank details safe and secure.
- Water-Resistant Power Strip Now Available in U.S.
- Virgin Mobile Reveals $40 Unlimited Data Plan
- Microsoft Re-Confirms Voice Support for Kinect
- George Lucas Sues Peripheral Maker Jedi Mind
- Some People Are Protesting New Medal of Honor
- Apple Patent Filing is About Tracking, ID'ing Users
- Malware Could Have Played Part in Plane Crash
- Motorola Blocks Unofficial Froyo ROM for DROID X
- Cleveland Smart Bins to Rat Out the Non-Recycler
- VOTW: Snoop Dogg Blows Up an Armored Truck
- Sony Could Start Banning Hacked, Jailbroken PS3s
- Valve Says PS3 is ''Incredibly Important''
- Say Bye To Old Yahoo As Bing Takes Control
- Microsoft Plans Real-Time Phone-Console Gaming
- Man Watches Burglars Raid Home via iPhone
- Texting Record Broken Yet Again... on iPhone 4
- Swedish Schoolgirls Bug Teachers' Lounge
- Microsoft Perma-Banning Halo: Reach Pirates
- Google Launches Voice Phone Calling for Gmail
more than likely it's people going onto facebook/etc and not wanting to get caught. I doubt THAT many people do that at work... during lunch. (I do it during coffee break =P)
But does Private Browsing truly not record every little bit?
That would be interesting to know.
This is silly. Your browser is still making requests through your company's gateway where everything is logged. The only thing it saves you is from storing evidence in your computer, but the evidence is somewhere else (gateway).
But does Private Browsing truly not record every little bit?That would be interesting to know.
obviously not, it records when you use it obviously.
This is silly. Your browser is still making requests through your company's gateway where everything is logged. The only thing it saves you is from storing evidence in your computer, but the evidence is somewhere else (gateway).
exactly. Thats why you only trust private browsing in the security of your own home. Don't think that private browsing helps you at work, because it doesn't. anyone with network administrative access can see what you're doing
but as for me, I use Chrome's incognito for my uhh...private surfing..and yes, my 1 hour lunch at home is a great time for this..hehe..yes..
hahhaaha busted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10 minutes to wank.
Epic picture.
no such a thing as private browsing at work. If your IT departments wants, they will see everything and anything you do.
no such a thing as private browsing at work. If your IT departments wants, they will see everything and anything you do.
That's why I use my home proxy server. Cripes with a little knowledge you can do it with Google App Engine.
interesting "private browsing" is tracked...
People really do need to read the article
"the study was done on an opt-in basis for Firefox 4 Beta users"
This means private browsing is not normally tracked.
exactly. Thats why you only trust private browsing in the security of your own home. Don't think that private browsing helps you at work, because it doesn't. anyone with network administrative access can see what you're doing but as for me, I use Chrome's incognito for my uhh...private surfing..and yes, my 1 hour lunch at home is a great time for this..hehe..yes..
Hell, even in homes, if you log in to the router/modem, you can usually see the history of the websites visited. Logging is usually enabled by default on most routers.
The picture made me spit in my monitor.
Personally never liked Mozilla's Private browsing since it closes all tabs I have open.
IE8's implementation is easier to use. New window, bam.
This is silly. Your browser is still making requests through your company's gateway where everything is logged. The only thing it saves you is from storing evidence in your computer, but the evidence is somewhere else (gateway).
Oh yeah, explain THAT theory to 90% of the population that use in-Private browsing. I'm betting that they barely understand how to use their iPhones, let alone, Facebook.
"It's also plausible that people are more inclined to engage in online shopping or banking during their lunch period and want to keep their bank details safe and secure."
Right...just as it's also possible that the world will blow up tomorrow.
okay, u caught me red handed.........=D
I WANT THAT SWEAT-SHIRT!!!!!
The 25th percentile is 4:30. If it is indeed for porn then it seems like a very short time to enjoy yourself. Especially if it takes you a minute to get to the content you want.
Also in the image above, if you want privacy that badly, then you'd probably care about people seeing your keystrokes, which they can do without you noticing. I guess it's probably not worth thinking about the failures of something so ridiculous anyways.
Pretty sure the only time I've EVER used Chrome's incognito window is to look at porn lol.
That's why I use my home proxy server. Cripes with a little knowledge you can do it with Google App Engine.
Dude, it doesn't matter what you do at work, the IT dept. can see you.
i wonder how secure it would be if you could VPN into your home network from work..?
Giggity!
does that hoody come in 24" 16:10 size?
How and WHY is Mozilla tracking the usage of private browsing??? Its not so private if its being tracked now is it?
i wonder how secure it would be if you could VPN into your home network from work..?
They see him connect from his work machine to his home proxy, not beyond that connection.
They see him connect from his work machine to his home proxy, not beyond that connection.
Seriously... this forum has the worst usability ever... I even know to try and click the right quote button and still miss it
Glad to see Firefox users are healthy
LOL WOW ,
everybody know when your in private mode: doesn't sound too private to me!!
Right. Never assume this is entirely private. Even though your browser won't store anything locally, you can bet that the company's proxy still know where you've been. In short, it's valuable for banking on a computer that can be used by someone else, but you should avoid naughty web sites when opening your browser from the company's network, private browser window or not.