Netflix Tests its Own 'Incognito Mode' for Untracked Movie Viewing

Sure, you’re a real tough guy out in public, but that reputation would go to hell quickly if anyone found out about your love for My Little Pony. The way Netflix is set up now, launching the app in the presence of others would mean having Twilight Sparkle blow up your carefully crafted persona. And worse — if your account is tied into Netflix, you could be telling the whole world about your secret life as a Brony.

Well, fear not, my pony-adoring pal; according to The Verge, Netflix is testing out a new private viewing mode that won’t track what you’re watching in any way. This means no “Because you like My Little Pony…” showing up on your home screen. The feature would sort of work like Chrome’s famous “Incognito Mode,” which keeps the pages you visit from showing up in your browsing history.

The folks at GigaOM state that Netflix is testing the private viewing feature across all its markets, though the test isn’t available to everyone. And if you like the sound of the feature, don’t get attached to it just yet; Netflix said that it will evaluate whether to keep the feature depending on how it performs, and that there’s the possibility it won’t become permanent.

The mode seems like a great idea for keeping certain viewing habits to yourself, especially when you consider that the “Incognito Mode” feature in browsers has become pretty standard. Those who are comfortable sharing things may not be comfortable with sharing everything, and those who’d really prefer to watch all of Netflix’s programming without it being tracked should have that right. We’ll probably see which way Netflix goes on this one in a few months.

What do you think of a private viewing mode for Netflix? Is this something you’d use, or are you okay letting the world know what you’ve been watching? Leave your thoughts down below.