Historically, browsing data in Silo was erased at the end of each session, with a fresh, disposable session created every time. This approach prevents cross-contamination of research and helps obscure identifiable web traffic patterns.
At the same time, certain research tasks benefit from carrying browsing data across sessions. In these cases, the ability to preserve specific browsing data enables smoother workflows and sustained access without repeatedly re-establishing trust or credentials.
Technical Details
When this mode is enabled on a Silo for Research shortcut, only critical browsing data is persisted from session to session. This includes:
Browser history
Download history
Cookies and other site data
Sign-in state data
Auto-fill form data
At session end, Silo will still automatically delete anything else, including cached content or potentially malicious files.
Enabling Browser Persistence for new and existing Silo for Research Shortcuts
Initial Setup: Administrators must first enable the feature for their organization in the Admin Console under Policies > Browser Settings > Browsing Data.
Administrators: Browsing data persistence can be enabled for new and existing administrator-provisioned shortcuts in the Admin Console under Web Apps. Browsing data persistence must be enabled per-shortcut in the “Browsing Data” section of the Web App save/edit menu.
Users: Users with permission to create shortcuts may enable browsing data persistence in the Save Shortcut and Edit Shortcut menus accessible from the Silo home page.
Please contact Support for any additional questions