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As we move ever further towards becoming a global community, where social networking and Web 2.0 concepts rule supreme, what has become of us from the perspective of identity?

Technology drives ways to speed up, enhance and render our lives in the 21st century but at what cost.

In a world where identity and digital identity are increasingly becoming one and the same, what has happened to privacy?

So I ask the question, is it possible to remain truly anonymous in this digital age unless you effectively opt out of society as we have come to accept it?

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As framed it, the question of anonymity today is still about trade-offs. Anonymity is not a binary state but a spectrum shaped by who is trying to identify someone (advertisers, criminals, law enforcement, or a hostile nation) and by everyday data leaks. The early replies from and rightly point to tools and the mirroring of real life; what is often missing is how modern techniques — browser fingerprinting, metadata, mobile identifiers, and data-broker aggregation — can deanonymize people even when simple protections are used. A practical primer on common browser and device leaks is available from EFF — Cover Your Tracks.

Practical steps that go beyond "use X" are: choose a clear threat model first; apply layered defenses (network, endpoint, account hygiene); limit metadata exposure (strip EXIF from images, avoid username reuse, separate identities and devices); prefer end-to-end encrypted messaging and privacy-minded mail for content protection but remember metadata often remains. For high-risk work, combine hardened toolchains and live OSes with strong operational rules — see the Tor Project and Tails for examples. For messaging and calls, modern E2EE apps such as Signal are a reasonable choice.

Limits and costs should be explicit. Behavioral signals and cross-service correlation usually reveal identity faster than a single technical failure. Strong anonymity demands discipline: dedicated hardware, strict compartmentalization, cash-based transactions, and ongoing OPSEC. For most people, a "privacy hygiene" posture (good defaults, minimal linking of accounts, HTTPS, updated software) gives meaningful protection without opting out of society.

In short: define the adversary, pick layered tools and habits to match that threat, and verify leaks with public tools. The trade-offs noted in this thread remain true — anonymity is achievable, but only as a deliberate, maintained practice.

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Member Avatar for The Dude

Very interesting questions my friend!!

I think thats why stuff like TOR exists to try and help people remain secure if they really wanna.....

I think the only real packets you should wanna keep secret are EMAIL PACKETS (As they are the most compromisable packet)

Member Avatar for John A

Web developers try to mirror the real life. They try to make it as realistic as possible, allowing you to chat real-time with other people on the Internet, buy and sell items, and tons of other stuff.

If you're really paranoid about privacy, sure: you can use proxies to hide your IP address, remailers to hide your emai address, etc.. But "how important is privacy to you?" is the real question.

You can't remain anonymous in real life, and why would you want to? Imagine this world with everyone wearing masks to protect their identity. Of course, real threats exist on the internet, but the same exist in real life. Forget it, you're not going to be safe, although it would be foolish to abandon security measures altogether.

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