Netflix ‘Privacy Mode’ currently in testing, allows users to hide their guilty pleasures

Select Netflix users now have the chance to hide their embarrassing viewing choices from logs, recommendations, and Facebook friends, as Netflix is testing a new incognito mode.

Many online streaming services rely on content curation and media recommendation to make their offering more useful and deliver relevant content suggestions based on individual viewing habits.

For those guilty pleasures, however, Netflix is now testing a new model that will not take your viewing history into account, on the contrary - it will discreetly overlook it. More specifically, the popular online video streaming service is reportedly testing out a new feature that lets users go "off the record," allowing them to enjoy a private, incognito viewing mode that will not register any of their viewing choices. Nothing will show up in your history, your Facebook profile, or future recommendations.

Netflix has reportedly pushed out this new feature to a small group of select users for testing purposes. This process could take months and it doesn't guarantee that this feature will actually become available for general use, but it sounds like a good idea for those who would like more privacy from time to time.

"At Netflix we continuously test new things. In this case, we are testing a feature in which a user watching a movie or TV show can choose to view in 'Privacy Mode.' Choosing that option means the program will not appear in your viewing activity log, nor will it be used to determine recommendations about what you should watch in the future," Netflix's new director of corporate communications and technology, Cliff Edwards, explained in an email to GigaOm.

Netflix is reportedly testing this new Privacy Mode feature across all of its markets, but not all users will get to try it out. A select batch will serve as a test group and the feature will go live to the general public if it all goes well and the feedback is positive. According to Edwards, a general rollout will largely depend on these tests. If the feature does not perform well, it may never hit the general public. 

In other words, it remains to be seen just when and if the new Netflix Privacy Mode will actually become reality for all users or whether it will flunk the test. If you're among those selected to try it out, drop by our comment section below and let us know what you think of it.