The Myth of Being Anonymous: Cookies, Trackers, and Digital Fingerprints

Through the years I've come to meet people who want to have an active digital life and yet be anonymous to people they interact with online, and I can't help but wonder if it's actually possible to be anonymous on the internet in this time and age, given the mind-blowing advances we're experiencing in areas of technology. I've got no bad energy towards those who want to have a private life off the internet by staying anonymous; I just can't wrap my head around if it's actually possible to really be anonymous, and that's why below I'll be stating my take on if it's actually possible to be completely anonymous in this time and age.

So do I think it's possible for anyone to hide behind the keyboard and yet no one knows who they actually are? I think not; I don't think it's possible, and below I'll be stating why I think it's possible. First on the list is because all the devices we use nowadays have an IP address that makes it possible for one to be tracked, and that's not to forget that the same is the case with cookies and crackers attached to our browsers; also, we've actually got those tied to our emails and phone numbers that make those behind the internet easily trace us, and that's not forgetting our social connection and payments history, which leaves a footprint of who we actually are to internet deep explorers.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you can't keep yourself private to majority of those online, I'm just saying it's impossible to be completely anonymous in this time and age, so even if you use a different name, a different photograph, there are lots of features we've on our devices that can expose our true self to those who can go the extra mile in finding out about who's actually behind that account you're communicating with. Keeping oneself private is actually a cool thing, because you can enjoy and grasp all the goodies the internet has to offer while keeping yourself safe from all the drama that comes from internet trolls and the like.

To be realistic, it's difficult to be anonymous in this age, especially towards big tech companies, the government, and law enforcement agencies that have mind-blowing tech resources to fish you out. So the truth is that you can mostly only be anonymous to random people on the internet and not to the big guns, making one wonder if we're really actually anonymous when we say we are or want to be.

You'd be amazed if I told you that I actually know the person behind some anonymous account we've had here on the Hive blockchain. I'm the kind of person who loves to explore, and in some cases, I just take out time to find out who's actually behind the account I've been communicating with for a while. I understand many might argue that it's easy to be anonymous in this time and age thanks to some technologies or apps that help you hide your identity, location, and the like, for example, VPN apps. But I'll like to tell you that If the big guns wants to find you, they'll definitely do, because they've enough resources to do that.

All photos are taken and edited on canva.