As anonymity on the internet once again resurfaces in the public debate, a question arises: is it really possible to completely camouflage your identity when you go on the internet?
In a text published on March 24 by La Tribune, Renaissance deputy Paul Midy, supported by 125 majority deputies, campaigns for the establishment of a “verified digital identity” and “accessible by the authorities in the event of a crime or crime”. Its goal ? Fight against the “feeling of anonymity” and the “feeling of impunity” that many Internet users experience when they are quietly seated behind their keyboards and which often leads to reprehensible behavior of which cyberharassment is the main avatar. more abject. A goal that could not be more laudable, but which indicates a severe misunderstanding of how the Internet works.
Whatever Mr Midy and most French people may think, anonymity on the internet does not exist, or only in an infinitesimal proportion. As proof, convictions for cyberharassment (as in the Nadia Daam affair) or for cyberattack (like those of the France Travail attack) are increasing. If anonymity on the internet is only a myth, the debate surrounding it is still of interest: that of raising the question of the confidentiality of personal data.
What does the notion of anonymity on the internet imply?
If we take its definition, anonymity designates the quality of a person or thing, which has no name, whose identity is unknown. More generally, and in its modern conception, anonymity describes the action of concealing one’s identity when communicating with a third party. And on the internet? It’s exactly the same thing.
Being anonymous on the internet means ensuring that your real identity (surname, first name, age, etc.) or any other information likely to identify you (such as your address for example), is inaccessible to your interlocutors. Numerous tools, more or less complex, make it possible to achieve this result, with very variable results depending on the method used.
Among them, the simplest is undoubtedly the use of a pseudonym. Very close to anonymity, pseudonymity – which consists of displaying a name other than one’s own when communicating on the internet – is very widespread on the internet, particularly on social networks or forums. However, it differs from anonymity in that the identity behind a pseudonym can be known to everyone.
Hiding your identity, why not, but for what purpose? There are many reasons to want to hide who you really are on the internet. Some good. Others, on the contrary, quite bad. It is thanks to anonymity that whistleblowers can reveal what they know in broad daylight, for example. Anonymity also allows you to speak freely on certain sensitive or personal subjects, to leave your comfort zone, or to experience otherness. Like any coin, anonymity also allows certain individuals to conceal reprehensible, even criminal, activities or, as we have seen, to engage in shameless acts of harassment.
In itself, anonymity is not good or bad: only the use we make of it tilts it one way or the other.
I have a username and a private browser, I’m at peace, right?
If the use of a pseudonym, or even a private browser, allows you to hide your identity from the eyes of the people you are talking to and the sites you consult, this is not synonymous with anonymity. For what ? Quite simply because despite these precautions, you still need your IP address to connect to the internet. And this simple fact reveals a lot for those who have a minimum of technical background.
The IP address, assigned by your internet service provider, is a sort of digital identity card. As such, it contains a lot of information such as the name of the ISP (obviously), the geolocation (approximate of course) of the user, but also data on the machine used to connect (operating system, version of your browser, screen type). So many small pieces which allow, implicitly, to draw the contours of an identity. And this is just one way among others to break anonymity. A simple connection to Google or a social network, a cookie accepted and the concealment is over.
To make matters worse, your own internet service provider is capable of revealing the whole story. Without spying on you directly, it is still the one that manages all the exchanges between your computer and the sites you visit. It is therefore able to know what you visited, when, for how long, and even what you did there to a lesser extent. He is also in possession of a lot of personal information (postal address, bank details), provided when you signed a contract with him.
Does this mean it’s impossible to be completely anonymous? The answer is “no”, but it is extremely difficult for ordinary people. Because to be completely anonymous on the internet, nothing would need to connect your digital persona with your physical person. That no information online can reveal who you really are, your location or anything else of the same ilk. Something that requires covering your tracks not only online, but also offline, in everyday life. Knowing that even your smartphone can betray you, becoming anonymous requires not only advanced technical knowledge, but also a discipline that very few are capable of achieving.
Anonymity on the internet, a myth that does not stand up to the test of everyday life
If the cases linked to offenses or crimes committed online brought before the courts in recent years teach us anything, it is that anonymity on the internet does not exist. All the precautions taken by the authors of the France Travail hack, for example, did not prevent their arrest and their conviction, despite the “feeling of anonymity” and the “feeling of impunity” denounced by the MP Midy in his gallery.
The reason ? It is already possible for the authorities to trace the perpetrators of this type of crime. Brigades specializing in crimes committed online have a whole arsenal of techniques to track down the culprits. Investigators, as long as the request is well-founded, can for example find the information they need directly from social networks or internet service providers. A powerful tool in that it gives them direct access to the real identity of the suspects.
Which raises an even more important question: what about confidentiality? If anonymity consists of protecting one’s identity by making it disappear, the notion of confidentiality concerns the protection of data, and more particularly, personal data. Because in the end, it is undoubtedly the data that is generated each time you connect to the internet that says the most about who you are. And it’s not for nothing that they are extremely coveted (by data brokers for example).
Whether it’s your ISP, your browser, your favorite social network or any site you visit (thanks to cookies in particular), almost everyone is watching what you do when you connect. Your browsing habits, the time you spend on this or that site, your searches, the files you download or upload: everything is counted, recorded and scrutinized. Worse, this data is sometimes even sold to third parties without you being aware of it. At this very moment, it is very likely that entire parts of your life are accessible to anyone who searches a little.
Since anonymity is (almost) impossible, you might as well work on the confidentiality of your data
Completely hiding your online identity is impossible, but protecting the confidentiality of your personal data is within everyone’s reach. And it starts quite simply with adopting good digital hygiene. Paying attention to what you disclose on the internet, avoiding clicking on any link or downloading unknown files, checking the strength of passwords and diversifying them are all small rules that are simple to apply, but beneficial on a daily basis. .
However, healthy digital hygiene is not enough. Fortunately, there is a powerful advantage in the fight for data protection. Her name ? The VPN. Its goal ? Make your connection secure and inaccessible to third parties. Behind this acronym hides the Virtual Private Network, a program that positions itself between your PC and your ISP and encrypts everything that passes through its hands. What you do on the internet therefore remains confidential, including for your ISP.
Modern VPNs also offer many additional tools to help protect you against anything that could compromise the security of your data and, by extension, your privacy. Antivirus, ad or cookie blockers, password manager: a real Swiss army knife entirely dedicated to your protection. This is, for example, what NordVPN, one of the most renowned players in the industry, offers.
With solid experience and an excellent reputation, NordVPN today offers one of the most comprehensive services on the market, between simplicity and completeness. An ideal offer for those who wish to preserve their privacy as much as possible, currently offered from 3.69 euros per month with a two-year subscription. Note that NordVPN offers three additional months of subscription to benefit from its services for a total of 27 months.