If your children received an iPhone 5 or an iPad for Christmas, or perhaps they received an iPad at school instead of textbooks, you ought to be aware that Apple’s mobile operating system iOS has an option to browse the web in secret.
If your kids turn on Private Browsing, they can browse the web in secret. There will be no record of Internet history, cache, logins, searches, or anything else that would normally be visible. Or, they can selectively delete their web history, only removing the sites they don’t want you to see.
I’ve talked before about Covenant Eyes, a Christian-based program that helps your family stay clear of pornography by combining filtering with a system of accountability. Well, they have developed a mobile app that provides a secure browser that replaces Safari on an iPhone, iPad, or iPad Touch. The app is free to download, but to use the browser and get regular reports on your child’s browsing activity, you need to have an account through Covenant Eyes. Learn more about how the Covenant Eyes program works.
Below is a 2-page quick reference guide for safe browsing that explains how to turn off Private Browsing and guard your family with the Covenant Eyes mobile app.
Funamo is another good alternative for Android devices that have similar capabilities (i.e. Samsung Galaxy Tabs)
This feature has been part of Chrome almost since it was created, and since Chrome is the default browser on most new Android phones and tablets, that feature is also there as well.
All modern browsers have a similar option. Common windows browsers are below:
Internet Explorer (In-Private Browsing)
Firefox (Private Browsing)
Chrome (Incognito)
FF and IE are accessed by Ctrl-Shift-P and Chrome by Ctrl-Shift-N
There are also “untraceable” browsers like Tor, which appear to the websites as being from various locations around the world.