When understanding privacy, the idea of anonymity comes into the debate, as many generally see them as the same thing. However, they are two different terms and have different meanings.
What is Anonymity?
The definition of anonymity, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is “the situation in which someone's name is not given or known.” Anonymity can also be defined as concealing your identity but not your behavior or actions. An example of this would be when someone is anonymously interviewed for a news story, posts to a social platform with a pseudonym, and whistleblowers.
Anonymity differs from privacy as it is defined as “someone's right to keep their personal matters and relationships secret.” It can also mean the right to keep information about yourself private and how to share it. Examples of this include private messages and personal information, such as your home address.
Why it’s important to know the difference?
Though they are used interchangeably and can mesh together, they are not the same thing. It can be confusing, but it’s crucial to understand the difference so you can better protect yourself and others when you're online and offline.
How is Anonymity being affected?
Anonymity, like privacy, is under constant threat. Many online services require you to create an account and use real information. And with recent government proposals that are starting to demand collecting identities, it’s becoming harder to have an anonymous online identity.
Anonymity is also being affected offline as well. The increasing use of facial recognition around the world is concerning. Many places are now implementing it for convenience and protection, but it is easily becoming surveillance. This means that now that you are going public, your face is being documented and filed into technology that is still experimental and has numerous flaws. That is both an anonymity and privacy concern that needs to be dealt with immediately.
Now that you know what anonymity is, hopefully you better understand how to protect your privacy. If you have anything to add to the anonymity debate, feel free to let me know in the comments.
Until Next Time,
Monique 🔎
Sources:
Privacy Decrypted #4; Understanding anonymity vs. privacy - Link
Privacy vs. Anonymity - All You Need to Know - Link
Security vs. Privacy vs. Anonymity: Understanding the differences - Link