Anonymity in this day and age is something we assume we all have a right
to, to a certain extent. In reality, though, maintaining an anonymous status in
this digital age is becoming harder and harder by the second. Think of it this
way: when you’re browsing through Google, is it just you and the search bar? Are
you sure you’re not alone? Every decision or click you make online leaves a
breadcrumb, or a digital footprint that anyone with basic technological skills
can follow. Little by little, there would be so many breadcrumbs left behind
that even with the most advanced crypto-security software, going “off the grid”
is impossible. It’s as simple as advertisement companies taking advantage of this
to display ads based simply on your search history. The article “The reasons
you can’t be anonymous anymore” by BBC Future Now editor Bryan Lufkin, though
two years old now, still maintains the same ramifications, even more so now,
two years later. As Lufkin simply states, “Today? Personal info flies freely
and wildly across the web, often on our volition: Instagrammed selfies of
ourselves and loved ones, complete with geotagged locations. Social media users
engaging in political spats and horrible insults, despite the fact that the
target of their harassment could click on their real names and real photos and
see who they actually are.” Anyone who has used a computer in the past ten
years knows what this means. Just because your username isn’t your real name
doesn’t mean you are anonymous. As time has gone by since the advent of the Internet
of Things, people tend to care less and less about their anonymity, knowing
that it’s becoming impossible to maintain it. A study conducted in 2013 by the
Pew Research Center that Bryan Lufkin publishes on his article states, “59% of
American internet users believe it is impossible to completely hide your
identity online.” With this knowledge, online users, including myself, are not rising
to the challenge to become fully anonymous or at least trying to protect our anonymity,
even though we value it. As the article states, “Earlier this year, a meta-analysis published in the Journal of
Communication explored something called the “privacy paradox”: the
idea that, while people value privacy, they do little in practice to preserve
it.” At the end of the day, is this a good thing? The way I see it, on one end,
with every new technological breakthrough the world is growing smaller every
year that passes. Humans can interact with each other like never before. These
interactions leave little room for privacy, but no one really seems to care
anymore. As long as there is a stable WiFi connection, we are satisfied.
Source: The reasons you can't be anonymous anymore. by BBC Future Now Editor Bryan Lufkin
3 comments:
While it is extremely hard to remain anonymous, I believe part of the reason why us as users choose not to care to preserve our anonymity is because we are keeping up with trends. Trends for the latest iPhone, social media account, etc., and as long as we can keep up with our friends, the rest doesn't matter because keeping up with friends is harmless and a part of today's online socializing trends. Even with accounts saved as hidden or locked on social media, if you search someone's name or username on google, their account shows up, making it again almost impossible to remain hidden online. Say on Facebook or Instagram, you post something you regret and want it deleted. While It will appear deleted to the user, it still can be found by someone with computer or cyber experience. The threat this poses to anonymity, is that in years down the line a user could have a career with a high standing. Can these unwanted, once deleted posts be recovered and used as blackmail in say 50 years? Because computers and hacking will be even more advanced by then due to Moore's Law. Also, today banking is turning digital, which means those who are coding the apps or websites for these services must work even harder to ensure privacy and protect against hackers. As users we unknowingly at times place much trust into online entities, because if they fail, us as users fail and sensitive information could potentially be exposed, all in the name of convenience in the moment when we used these online banking tools.
This is a good article that really made me question “Is anonymity a possibility anymore?”. When I think about what I post on social media, my personal IP address and what I search online can always be traced. Any hacker could easily hack my computer but they wouldn't find much, just a bunch of power points and school stuff. As I thought about it more, I realize that everytime I enter my credit card, my home address or personal information it is all stored on my computer and anyone could see it. There really isn't a way for a person to erase themselves or go off the grid when it comes to technology. Computers have advanced to the point where they could get your exact location if you're using your phone or a computer. Personal information is just floating around on the web which gives worries me because I want parts of my life to be private. AI has made it close to impossible to hide your identity, even when your username isn't real there is a chance someone else will be able to find you. I am more cautious when I use computers now and what information I put in. Although there are some good parts of the advancement in technology, humans are able to interact with each other like never before. There are ways to communicate with others and it feels like they are in the same room as you. I like technology when it brings people closer together but you always have to take the good with the bad.
I do think there are cases where anonymity is possible, but it is extremely difficult to achieve and only a small percentage of people can achieve this. For the average person, remaining anonymous online is not that big of a deal because they are not doing anything wrong with their technology, and most of the time they are just using it to watch shows, do work/research, and interact with their friends on social media. A lot of people could not care less if a bunch of strangers on the internet know their name, hometown, or what they look like as they do not feel having this information readily available poses any threat to them. Personally, I interact with a lot of people online that I have never met in person and know few personal details about. I do this on twitter, where many of the people I follow and my followers are "gamers" and play similar video games online and have formed communities over the years. Throughout my time being apart of those communities, I have seen many people have their personal information leaked to others. It is very easy for someone they may have angered to find out their personal information and leak it, despite the fact these people are using "anonymous" gaming accounts. So I have seen numerous occasions where people thought they had achieved anonymity online be shown otherwise very easily. For that reason, I do not believe remaining anonymous online is easily achievable, and only those that are extremely good with computers, coding, and hacking are able to maintain anonymity online-but even those people can not be totally sure someone better than them with technology will not be able to figure out who they are as well. In my opinion, staying anonymous online is really not that big a deal though as long as you are using technology correctly and not doing things that you would need to hide from the world. And for many people, the way they use technology is in a harmless manner so they do not care whether they are anonymous or not.
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