Privacy in the modern world is probably the most important for the entire existence of this concept. Maintaining confidentiality and remaining anonymous can sometimes be really difficult. Almost all activities of modern companies are based on the analysis of your preferences for their subsequent implementation in advertising. Cookies, analysis of your requests, interests, social networks, and much more. You can’t even hide your presence on another user’s Instagram pages. To do this, you need to use an anon IG viewer, such as Inflict, which will allow you to bypass existing restrictions easily. Anonymous stories viewer for Instagram will be a great solution for expanding your anonymity on the Internet. But why do we need that anonymity? Let’s figure it out.
Let’s start with what anonymity is. Anonymity should be understood as a state in which your account on the Internet cannot be identified with you. In other words, when people cannot understand who is sitting on the other side of the monitor. Anonymity protects the privacy and prevents deanonymisation. Thanks to it, you can easily hide your digital footprint from various intruders and feel safe on the Internet.
Why Is Anonymity Important Online?
You need to understand why you need anonymity on the global network. And understand whether the requirements and consequences of this will suit you. The simplest reason for wanting anonymity on the Internet is the freedom that comes with it.
Given the existing authoritarian threats, freedom is linked to privacy. Confidentiality depends on anonymity, or at least on the use of pseudonyms. It must be remembered that the price of this game is freedom.
What Is Needed to Ensure Anonymity on the Internet?
If we talk about the importance of anonymity, most people say, “You’re safe as long as you’re not doing anything wrong.” People’s minds are filled with myths that only sinners need to protect their identity. Online anonymity is the need of the day for many reasons point to it. You can face serious problems if you fail to protect your identity as required.
Identity Protection
In no case do you want anyone to know your identity? Even if you are not doing anything nefarious or illegal. By being anonymous, you gain a level of social security. It’s a must-have for introverts in online communities.
Apart from that, think if you were a world-renowned celebrity. Having paparazzi everywhere can be exhausting, and there is no room for solitude. You’d be shocked to know how celebrities anonymously use sites like 4chan and Reddit.
What happens when an online identity is not secure?
Let’s take the example of South Korea, where every resident has a special resident registration number (RRN). It acts as a user identifier, and South Koreans need to enter this number during online registration for websites, games, etc. There can be many reasons behind this action, as each person creates only one account for the service.
But in 2006, millions of RRBs from different customer databases were leaked. Cybercriminals created fake accounts using RRNs for a game called Lineage as part of a money laundering action. Shockingly, these RRNs were not thieved by hackers. Rather, they were handed over to cyber criminals by company employees after gaining access to the database.
Personal Harassment
Online anonymity is an essential component of freedom of expression. The Internet enables actively silent people to convey feelings, emotions, and opinions to others. This grants them to speak without the terror of consequences.
In 2011, authorities in Bahrain arrested an outspoken political activist, Mohammed al-Masqati. The government released him after an https://visitlcvalley.com/ agreement that he would not talk about Bahrain on social platforms under any circumstances.
In this instance, al-Masqati has deliberately used his real name. Despite the backlash, he doesn’t regret the decision. However, for many silent people, anonymity can be heard while being safe.
It’s not only an issue of third-world countries. In fact, for the past few years in America, online harassment has been a vast topic of debate at home, and the debate isn’t going away anytime soon.
What Is Online Harassment?
Online harassment takes many forms, including but not bound to:
- Doxing: This happens when someone over the Internet shares your personal information. This resulted in stalkers, offensive jokes, and even death threats.
- Revenge Porn: When someone leaks unofficial videos and photos on social media or the Internet without your permission. This is a violation of privacy; at worst, it can destroy your future, reputation, and mental health.
- Swatting: When someone gives false information to the government that you are dangerous. As a result, police officers broke down your door and caught you.
Hence, without any anonymity, revealing top secrets would lead to dangerous consequences.
Sensitive Issues
Most groups of people seeking sensitive information benefit from anonymity and do not want to expose themselves during this activity. A common example is a person struggling with their sexuality, not manifesting during the struggle but having many concerns and questions. This person can ask a question to the online community without coming forward.
The medical inquiry area is private for women. It is common to know stories of young girls who have contracted an STI or become pregnant and want answers to their questions anonymously. Also, the guy with the weird bowel movement wants a hidden answer.
The list goes on: people who need divorce advice, people who are in insincere relationships, those who are stuck in legal problems and want to get rid of them, people suffering from mental health issues, etc.
We are all living in a digital world where anonymity is valued. We will find ourselves in many of these same circumstances as the years go by. How would you experience if each query was linked to your personal identity?
How to Protect Your Anonymity Online
Proxy
A proxy is a type of remote connection based on a third-party server. Simply put, your computer is connected to a third-party server (which can be located anywhere) and makes all requests and actions from the IP address of this service. This principle allows the user to provide a high degree of anonymity and security.
The proxy server performs different tasks:
- Ensures data privacy.
- Allows you to use content that is only available in a specific location.
- Accelerates access to the necessary Internet resources by compressing the information flow.
- Makes blocked Internet resources available.
- Allows you to connect from another IP.
- Makes your stay on the Internet safe from various attacks and threats.
VPN
It’s a special app that creates a secure and encrypted network connection over another network.
When you’re using the Internet and visiting websites, make purchases in online stores, check your pages on social networks, and so on. With the help of special tools, anyone can track their Internet activity and use the information received for personal purposes. A VPN helps you avoid this and opens up a wide range of possibilities for surfing the net.
Why you need a VPN
- To remain anonymous
- To bypass censorship
- To protect personal data when using public networks
TOR
TOR was developed by the US military in the late 90s. The essence of the TOR is as follows:
Before a request or data goes online, a special program on the user’s computer encrypts it so that each server can only decrypt its own part. It looks like this: the original data is taken and encrypted for the input node, then what happened is encrypted for the intermediate node, and this is still encrypted again for the output node.
Tor also has several drawbacks that are also important to mention. Among them:
- Global surveillance – theoretically, it is possible for someone to simply observe the network from the inside and see how the traffic passes.
- ISP blocking – in some countries, it is forbidden to use TOR, so ISPs find all entry nodes and block them.
- Slow browser operation – for a regular user, this can be a serious disadvantage because, due to its specificity, TOR is extremely slow, and some pages can take several minutes to load.
One of the most interesting ways to remain anonymous can be to create a “fake” identity, under the guise of which you perform all the actions on the Internet.
You can use separate passwords, addresses, and accounts for your daily routine on the Internet. Using a separate computer for this is also advisable in combination with a VPN or Proxy. This will only enhance the effect. In this case, it will be extremely difficult to determine what kind of person is hiding behind the monitor.
Anonymity and confidentiality are really important and, at the same time, very voluminous topics for discussion and reflection. The modern world is rather paradoxical. Although it has become practical to remain anonymous in everyday “life” on the Internet, you can safely use the TOR browser or a quality VPN to hide information from third parties. You just have to choose the method that suits you best.
By Andrej Kovacevic
Updated on 29th August 2022