Hiding in Plain Sight: Maintaining Anonymity through Disclosure

In I Wanna be Anonymous and I ain’t the Only One!!!, I listed some ways a person could remain fairly anonymous on the Internet. However, I failed to mention one of the most surefire ways to maintain your anonymity on the net. One of the best ways to maintain your anonymity on the net is to not be anonymous. I swear I haven’t lost my mind. Think about it. Is there anything more suspicious than someone not having any searchable information on the web? No social media, no birth date, no emails, no comments, nothing? It’s as though that person has something to hide and has completely scrubbed, or avoided putting any information on, the net. There are few things more alluring than a mystery so the anonymous man becomes an object of fascination and, thus, a target. So, how do you avoid becoming a target? Easy, avoid anonymity. Give out information, make yourself known. But, wait, doesn’t all of that fly in the face of anonymity? It does, in a way. But, in another way, it makes you less of a mystery. Therefore, less of a target.

Think about it this way. Imagine a rather convincing mask placed over a face. The mask is what the world sees. What the world doesn’t see, and ideally may not even know about, is the face underneath the mask. The mask is the distraction, it is the public sphere, which hides the real face underneath. While wearing the mask, the real face is free to act anonymously without becoming a target of suspicion, since all inquiry by the public is directed at the mask. The mask is the honeypot. The catch-all that attracts the flies, leaving the real face free from all interference and suspicion. Think of the mask as your public life, and the face underneath your mask as your private, anonymous life.

But how do you construct the mask? That’s easy. You can choose to give out inconsequential information about yourself when you create a social media profile or, ideally, give out misleading, false information. However, you should be careful when giving away false information because, if someone can verify the truth of the information, that person will be able to see through your lie. And the entire purpose of the mask is to avoid suspicion, not cause it.

I’ll explain my approach to constructing a false face, my mask. I have a social media profile on Facebook. I’ve had one for many years. I’ve given Facebook my name, my address, email, and my telephone number. Basically, I’ve given them all of the information anyone could find with a simple Google search of my name. The rest of my profile is made up of false interests, likes, beliefs, quotes, etc. Anyone who knows my full name can find my profile. It’s open to the public. However, the public can’t view my email, address, or phone number. They can only view my name, interests, occasional posts, etc. I had to make it somewhat convincing, so I didn’t give away all of my personal information to the public. I also have some “secret” accounts on other forums which act as honeypots for anyone who cares to do a bit of extra research on my activities.

By creating this mask, I’ve created a public persona that I can use at my own discretion to distract the public from my private, anonymous dealings. I’ve erected a lightning rod that catches the storm while leaving the building underneath intact.

You may have reservations about giving away some of your personal information to social media sites like Facebook. Keep in mind that you don’t have to give away your personal information. I chose to give away some of my personal information in order to create a more convincing mask that is harder to see through. Give away all the false information about yourself as you like, however, be sure that the name you use is your real name (remember the lightning rod) and that the other, false information you give away can’t be easily verified by outsiders.

When creating your mask, strike a balance between believability, credibility, and falsehood. Always keep in mind that any attacker who wants to make you a target will pick up any information they can on you, so construct a very misleading mask. At least, as misleading and convincing as you can.