Which browser introduced the 'InPrivate' browsing mode?

Internet Explorer 8 introduced the “InPrivate” browsing mode. Microsoft debuted InPrivate Browsing with Internet Explorer 8, which reached general availability on March 19, 2009.

InPrivate Browsing was designed to prevent the browser from retaining local records such as browsing history, temporary internet files, form data, cookies, and saved usernames or passwords from that session. Internet Explorer 8 also included a related feature called InPrivate Filtering, which gave users more control over some third-party tracking behavior.

The feature is commonly confused with the broader history of private browsing. Safari had introduced a private browsing mode in 2005, so IE8 was not the first browser to offer the general concept. It was the first Internet Explorer release to use Microsoft’s distinctive “InPrivate” branding. Firefox 3.5, Chrome, and later Microsoft Edge adopted their own privacy modes under different names, including Private Browsing and Incognito.