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Chrome 76 adds dark mode, removes Incognito Mode detection

It also adds another nail in the coffin for Flash.

Oscar Gonzalez Former staff reporter
Oscar Gonzalez is a Texas native who covered video games, conspiracy theories, misinformation and cryptocurrency.
Expertise Video Games, Misinformation, Conspiracy Theories, Cryptocurrency, NFTs, Movies, TV, Economy, Stocks
Oscar Gonzalez
2 min read
A Google Chrome sticker

Google Chrome 76 is out. 

Stephen Shankland/CNET

Google Chrome 76 is out, and it has more features to help secure users' privacy and to help people stay safe while browsing the internet. The new version also can help get around paywalls and includes the crowd favorite, dark mode

Google released Chrome version 76 on Tuesday. Included in the update is a fix to a loophole that allowed websites to check if people are browsing in Incognito Mode. With the change, sites that use paywalls won't be able to detect if the privacy feature is being used. 

Another change in Chrome 76 is the removal of remembering a user's selection regarding the usage of Flash. Previously, the browser would block a Flash element on a page and would require users to confirm they wanted to allow Flash. Chrome would then remember that choice in future visits. The update will require users to choose to activate Flash with every visit. This move is another step by Google to kill Flash by 2020

There's also a change to the Esc button in Chrome 76. Some nefarious sites would code the page so that the button would launch a new pop-up ad. The update removed that option, allowing users to use the button to get out of site full of pop-ups. 

Dark mode is all the rage these days, and Chrome 76 helps web developers take advantage of it. Developers can now code a page to default ito a dark theme for a site based on the user's preference. 

Chrome 76 is now available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Watch this: How Chrome changed web browsers 10 years ago