Firefox 3.1, now in Beta 2, includes private browsing, introduced first by Google Chrome. Internet Explorer 8 will also include this feature.

Private browsing is about browsing the web without leaving any traces of data on your computer. Be aware, this does NOT mean it hides your IP!

Your browser usually records a lot of data which is used to improve your browsing experience. For example, it records a history of all the web pages you have visited, so that later if you need help remembering a site you visited a while back, it can assist you in finding that site.

This is great if you are the only one that has access to the computer or if you have nothing to hide, but it is not very convenient when others (your spouse, your boss, your coworker, etc.)  can see your browsing history.

When you switch on private browsing, Firefox does not to store any data (on your computer), that can be used to tell the pages you have visited.

To enable private browsing you will have to check the Private Browsing submenu under Tools. You will have to uncheck the menu in order to discards all the data from your private session.

Happy Surfing!