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You know what I hear a lot these days?
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Everyone on social media
should have to use their real name.
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Anonymity should be banned.
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This is a bad idea.
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Usually spoken by people
who assume that the world treats
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everyone like it treats them.
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Anyone who's ever had to say something
unpopular knows how important privacy is.
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It gives us the ability
to speak, explore, and connect
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without fear of punishment
from those who'd prefer we stay silent.
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Despite what some people seem to think,
anonymity isn't something
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that should be banned.
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It's something that should be protected.
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Wanting it doesn't make you dangerous.
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It makes you normal.
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Let me give you an example.
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The other week I had dinner
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with a group of wonderful people,
well known economists, bestselling
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authors, people that I'd only ever known
in a professional context.
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But that night,
I saw a completely different side of them.
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Wicked humor, unexpected opinions.
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The kind of off the cuff brilliance
that never makes it into a dense
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economics book.
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But for some reason, they never really
understood my passion for privacy.
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Anyway, the next day
I saw one of them again and I said to her,
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“You're a riot.
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I had no idea that you were that funny”.
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And she told me that she'd long been
thinking of starting a separate X account.
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She said that she wanted to tell jokes
and say things
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that didn't fit the persona people expect
from her professionally,
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so she didn't want the new account
linked to her real name.
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And just like that, she got it.
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She understood the value of privacy
because privacy isn't about hiding.
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It's about freedom.
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The freedom to be your full self,
to explore different sides
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of your personality,
to be more than one thing at once.
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That's
something that we can all relate to.
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You might have multiple interests
or roles in life.
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Professional, personal, creative and want
to maintain separate identities for each.
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Or maybe you want the ability to grow
and change your mind
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without the ghosts of old online
interactions following you forever.
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So I just got a call
from the academy, and,
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that call basically said, Kevin, apologize
for your tweets of old.
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I've addressed it.
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I've spoken on it.
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I've said who I am now versus who I was
then.
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I've done it, and I'm in a completely
different space in my life.
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But privacy is also about safety.
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Maybe you want to avoid trolls
or harassment and you'd rather
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not have your address or your kid's faces
posted by some stranger on the internet.
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Maybe you want to speak honestly while
protecting yourself from online mobs
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that might target your job, your family,
or your personal reputation.
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Maybe you don't want everything
you say online to be permanently
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linked to your real name.
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In case in the future social norms change
and you're no longer in the mainstream.
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But the stakes can be even higher.
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You might be an activist, a protester,
or someone who risks persecution
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for your beliefs.
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And in those situations,
social media becomes a battleground.
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It's where people rally, support and boost
morale in the face of repression.
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But if speaking your mind
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means risking arrest,
how are people supposed to fight back?
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That's why privacy matters.
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For some people, it's for comfort.
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For others, it's for resistance.
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Whatever your reason, privacy is power.
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And we should be fighting to protect it.
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So how do you actually stay anonymous
on social media?
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Well, in this video,
we'll walk you through how to create
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and use social platforms
in a way that protects your identity.
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But there are countless subtle ways
that your identity can be compromised,
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even when you think
you've covered your tracks.
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Some people think that
if they want privacy,
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they need to disappear off the grid.
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But that's just not true.
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You just need to start with understanding
your threat model.
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Who are you trying to protect yourself
from?
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What are the stakes?
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Your approach should match your situation
and we’ll break it down level by level.
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Let's go through
some examples of different threat models.
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For example,
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hiding your opinions from your boss
will require very different precautions
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than hiding from a hostile government
that wants to target
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you for your political beliefs.
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Everyone's situation is different,
but to keep things manageable,
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we're going to break threat models
into three levels.
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That way, you can figure out what kind of
protections make sense for you.
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Level one basic protections are for people
with a low stakes threat model.
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Level two advanced protections
are for people with a higher threat model.
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Level three extreme protections are
for those living under a hostile regime,
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where political dissent is dangerous
and the consequences of being identified
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online are severe.
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We won't be covering this level
in this video
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not because it isn't important,
but because the stakes are too high
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for shortcuts, or the kind of advice
you get from generalized privacy videos.
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If your life or freedom could be at risk,
please seek help from experts
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who specialize in operating anonymously
under repressive conditions.
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Some organizations
that might be able to help
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include The Citizen Lab,
Freedom of the Press Foundation, and EFF.
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So we'll post links to their sites
in the video description.
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Now, most people watching this video
will probably fall into the level
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one category, and anything beyond
that might feel overwhelming.
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So if that's you, feel free to skip ahead
to the end of the video
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once that section is done.
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I want to quickly mention
that your approach
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will also depend on
which social media platform you're using.
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Take Facebook for example.
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It aggressively pushes users
to use real names
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and actively works to de anonymize
its user base.
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You can only change your birthday
a few times before they lock it
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permanently.
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They've been caught doing countless
sneaky and wildly unethical things
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to collect data, like secretly
monitoring the browsing activity
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of those who have the app installed.
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Other platforms are more flexible
when it comes to pseudonymous accounts.
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X is one example.
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It still collects a ton of data about you,
but it's a space where
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satire, personas, and anonymous commentary
are common and widely accepted.
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We're not going to cover every platform
because there are too many,
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and how they surveil users evolves
constantly.
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Instead, we'll focus on general privacy
techniques and apply them broadly to X.
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But the idea is that you'll walk away
with strategies that you can use anywhere.
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Let's start with level
one basic protections
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for creating a pseudonymous
social media account.
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The goal here
is to keep a clean separation between
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your online persona
and your real world identity.
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You're not being targeted,
and you don't expect anyone
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to spend serious resources
trying to find you.
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You're mostly
hiding from the general public,
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and you want to make sure
that even low level platform employees
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can't casually connect
your posts to your real name.
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And if your credentials
ever leak in a data breach,
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you want enough precautions in place
to prevent easy linkages.
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Let's start with account set up.
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For your profile name
avoid birthdays, locations, nicknames,
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or anything with an obvious connection
to your real world identity.
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You'll also want to make this unique
and not something
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that you've used on other platforms
or a derivative thereof.
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For email,
don't use your regular email address.
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Instead, generate an alias using a service
like Simple Login, or use
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a custom domain that you own that isn't
publicly linked to your real identity.
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This email should be used for this account
only and never reused elsewhere.
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Why bother with protecting your email
when this isn't publicly visible
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on your profile?
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Well, data breaches are extremely common.
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X itself has past breaches
that exposed users
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sign in emails,
and it's bound to happen again.
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Assume that your login credentials
will be leaked
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and choose an email address
that won't lead back to you.
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Similarly,
don't use your regular cell number.
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Instead, generate a new number
through a VoIP service
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like MySudo or Cloaked and use it
exclusively for this account.
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Don't link it to anything else.
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Otherwise, if that number
ever ends up in a data breach,
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it would be trivially easy
to trace the account back to you.
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Next, let's talk about behavior.
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First, don't follow your real account
or people closely
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tied to you like your best friend,
sibling, or coworker.
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When you write tweets
or fill out your profile,
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avoid mentioning real world hobbies
or your profession.
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Specific locations,
or distinctive personal details.
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And be careful with the pictures you post.
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Don't reuse photos from other accounts,
because reverse image searches
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can link them.
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Consider
AI generated or royalty free images.
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These steps will give you
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a solid foundation of protection
against low level doxing threats.
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If that's all you need,
feel free to skip ahead to the conclusion
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for final thoughts.
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Otherwise, let's move on to level
two advanced protections.
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Before we dive in, I want to be clear
this isn't just a step up from level one.
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This is a big leap.
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Most people will fall comfortably
into the level one category,
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but I wanted to include this section
to help you understand
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the more advanced ways
that platforms can de anonymize users.
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So this section is for the curious
and for those with a higher threat model.
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And it requires
more sophisticated compartmentalization.
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If you're disciplined,
you can reach a point where
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even the platform itself can't confidently
link your account to your real identity
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either through your IP, device
or behavioral patterns.
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And to be clear,
this level is not for people in life
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threatening situations
or under hostile regimes.
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It's designed for lower risk scenarios
where you want to increase your privacy
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but don't need to achieve
perfect anonymity.
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These steps are for people who want
to avoid profiling, not evade subpoenas.
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It's also not an exhaustive checklist
or a guarantee,
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but it is a solid reference point.
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If your goal is to get serious about
how pseudonyms can be broken
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and how to prevent that
from happening to you.
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So let's get into it.
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You'll need to start by doing
everything we covered in level one.
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Then let's add a stronger
compartmentalization
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starting with account setup.
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If you are subscribing to something like X
premium, don't use your real bank card.
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A masked credit card service
like privacy.com lets you generate burner
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card numbers tied to fake names
and billing addresses,
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adding a layer of separation
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between your pseudonymous account
and your legal identity.
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If your threat model is more serious,
you might want to go even further,
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buying a prepaid card with cash
or a privacy focused cryptocurrency.
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As for the email and phone number
associated with your account, you already
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set up solid protections in level one
by using an email alias and a VoIP number.
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But if you want to go further,
you can ensure that those accounts
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themselves
were created in a clean environment
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without any links to your real identity.
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Again, this isn't something
that most people need to worry about.
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It's a step reserved
for those facing more targeted threats.
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Next, let's talk about metadata hidden
inside your photos and videos you upload.
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One important protection is stripping Exif
data from images
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and removing embedded metadata from videos
before posting them.
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Exif data, for example, can include
the make and model of your device,
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the time the photo was taken,
and in many cases, your exact geolocation.
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We go into more detail in our video
on metadata scrubbing, but in short,
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there are many tools that let you remove
metadata from media before uploading.
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One neat trick
that I like is to use Signal to do this.
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If you send a photo to yourself
via Signal,
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Signal will automatically strip
out the metadata for you.
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Now let's talk about device and browser
hygiene.
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This is a longer section
and it could go on forever.
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But let's talk basic principles.
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First, avoid installing social media
apps on your phone.
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They usually have really invasive
permissions, can
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access your contacts, device ID, installed
apps,
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and run background processes
that silently collect data.
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Many include third party SDK or code
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that extracts telemetry
and behavioral information.
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Instead, access your social media accounts
through a browser
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and preferably a privacy focused one.
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Such browsers sandbox
your activity, restrict permissions,
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and limit how much data
the platform can harvest from your device.
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You can see how well browsers compare
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when it comes to privacy
by visiting privacytests.org.
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Now let's talk about fingerprinting.
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Platforms and third parties can track you
using things like your screen resolution,
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time zone, font list, and system
configuration.
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Privacy focused browsers like Brave help
limit this fingerprinting by blocking
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trackers, spoofing certain attributes,
and reducing the uniqueness of your setup.
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You can even go further
by disabling JavaScript when possible,
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and also by minimizing
the number of browser extensions
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you use,
which also acts as a unique fingerprint.
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Even if you use a privacy focused browser,
you should still make a habit
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of clearing out your cookies,
cache and local storage.
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These can persist across sessions
and allow platforms to track you
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or even link your pseudonymous account
to your real identity.
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Clearing this stuff regularly helps
keep your identities compartmentalized.
00:13:24
For even more separation, consider using
a different browser for each identity.
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For example, Brave for identity
A and Mullvad browser for identity B.
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This keeps cookies
history and local storage isolated,
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and generates different browser
fingerprints that are harder to correlate.
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Another option is to use separate
user profiles on your computer,
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or even a separate operating system
for different activities.
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This could mean running a virtual machine
or using privacy focused OSes
00:13:55
like Tails or Qubes to further
isolate your identities
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and to go even more extreme.
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You can consider
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using an entirely separate device
for your pseudonymous activities.
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It could be a computer
dedicated solely to social media,
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and one that you never use to log
into your real account.
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To level up further, you might purchase
the device anonymously using cash.
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Avoid stores with surveillance cameras
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and physically disable
or remove its microphones and cameras.
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Again, these last steps of the people
with very elevated threat models.
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Most users won't need to go that far,
but it's important
00:14:31
to understand
that each of these is a potential link
00:14:34
that could be used to de anonymize you,
if someone is highly motivated.
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Next, let's talk about network privacy.
00:14:41
Start by using a reputable VPN.
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Many VPNs are shady
data collection fronts, so be careful.
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I like Proton and Mullvad VPN.
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A good VPN hides your real IP address from
the platform and encrypts your traffic.
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If you want to go further,
consider paying for your VPN anonymously.
00:15:00
Mullvad, for example,
accepts cash in the mail.
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This removes your financial identity
from the equation.
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If you're in a higher risk category,
you might consider avoiding networks
00:15:10
that are tied to your real world identity,
like your home, work or school Wi-Fi.
00:15:15
Instead, you can connect to social media
over public networks
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in locations far from places
associated with you.
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This prevents your real IP from becoming
part of your metadata footprint.
00:15:26
If your VPN ever disconnects or leaks.
00:15:29
Also be aware that your device can leak
information via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
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signals, such as probe requests
and background broadcasts.
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These can reveal your location, history,
and movement patterns over time by showing
00:15:42
where and when your device has appeared
near certain networks or other devices.
00:15:47
For example, if you carry
both your real phone and your pseudonymous
00:15:52
device to the same places,
they can be passively correlated.
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Linking the two identities together.
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So be mindful about where you bring
your pseudonymous device.
00:16:02
If your threat model is higher, consider
adding Tor as an additional layer.
00:16:06
It routes your traffic
through multiple encrypted relays,
00:16:10
masking both your IP address
and the destination.
00:16:13
It's not foolproof
against targeted surveillance,
00:16:15
but when used carefully, it can be
a powerful tool for increasing anonymity.
00:16:20
Then there are your patterns of behavior
to be mindful of.
00:16:23
For example, if account A and account
00:16:26
B, always log in at around the same time,
or use similar phrasing,
00:16:30
or interact with the same niche
communities, platforms can correlate them.
00:16:35
Even if you're using different devices
or VPNs.
00:16:38
To reduce that risk, try
to vary your posting habits and maintain
00:16:42
clear distinctions in your tone,
language, and subject matter.
00:16:46
Avoid engaging with people or topics
tied to your real world identity,
00:16:50
and steer clear of references
to events, locations, or communities
00:16:54
that could reveal who or where you are.
00:16:56
You should also be careful with
interactions outside the platform itself.
00:17:01
Promotional emails
from social media services often contain
00:17:05
tracking pixels or UTM codes,
so don't click on them.
00:17:09
In general, avoid unnecessary engagement
with the platform,
00:17:12
and when you do interact, do it
strategically and in character.
00:17:17
One important rule,
especially if your threat model is higher,
00:17:20
is to never discuss
00:17:22
your pseudonymous activity
with people that you know in real life.
00:17:25
Even trusted friends
can unintentionally expose you.
00:17:29
And once that connection is made, it's
hard to walk back.
00:17:32
And finally, keep in mind
that legal and jurisdictional risks vary.
00:17:37
Some keywords, search queries,
or behaviors may trigger
00:17:41
automated surveillance or legal scrutiny,
so make sure that you understand
00:17:45
what kinds of red flags
might apply to your region.
00:17:49
One final area of advanced protections,
but I want to mention,
00:17:52
especially if you're operating at a higher
risk level,
00:17:55
is rotating your identity
and periodically retiring old accounts.
00:18:00
The longer a pseudonymous identity
lives, the more data
00:18:04
it accumulates
and the more likely you are to slip up.
00:18:07
It's good practice to rotate identities
regularly.
00:18:10
You might choose to periodically
burn your account and start fresh.
00:18:14
Create a new email,
VoIP number, device or browser profile
00:18:18
that even within an existing account,
you can reduce your footprint
00:18:22
by deleting content
that you no longer need.
00:18:25
And while this won't erase
00:18:26
the data from the platform's back end,
it will remove it from public view
00:18:31
and reduce exposure to data scrapers
or automated profiling tools.
00:18:35
Let's briefly reiterate what we said
earlier about level three extreme
00:18:39
protections.
00:18:40
If you live under a hostile regime
where expressing
00:18:43
dissenting opinions online carries
severe consequences.
00:18:48
Do not rely on generalized privacy guides.
00:18:51
Achieving true anonymity against
a powerful adversary is extraordinarily
00:18:55
difficult.
00:18:56
Governments have massive resources,
including surveillance, infrastructure,
00:19:00
legal coercion,
and advanced forensic tools.
00:19:04
One small mistake can unravel everything.
00:19:06
This guide does not offer operational
security for high risk environments.
00:19:11
That kind of protection requires
meticulous execution
00:19:14
of everything we've discussed here,
plus much more.
00:19:17
If your life or freedom are on the line,
seek help
00:19:20
that is specific to your situation.
00:19:22
Now for the good news.
00:19:24
Most people's threat
00:19:25
model doesn't involve being
individually targeted by a government.
00:19:29
Why does that matter?
00:19:30
Well, because targeting a specific person
takes time, effort, and resources.
00:19:35
Instead, governments overwhelmingly rely
on mass surveillance systems
00:19:39
fueled by data
that you voluntarily expose.
00:19:43
And that's why this is good news, because
most of that exposure is preventable.
00:19:48
This is why evaluating your threat model
really matters,
00:19:51
because in many cases,
you can make huge privacy gains
00:19:55
just by making better choices without
needing to overhaul your entire life.
00:20:00
You don't need extreme measures
to protect yourself.
00:20:03
By using tools like VoIP numbers, email
aliases, and privacy focused browsers,
00:20:08
you can drastically reduce
how much of your life is available
00:20:12
for collection, and by making
small changes to your behavior
00:20:16
like those mentioned in level one,
you can make it much harder
00:20:19
for surveillance systems to track, profile
or link you across platforms.
00:20:24
Achieving basic pseudonymity
online is much easier than it sounds.
00:20:29
Privacy isn't about hiding.
00:20:31
It's about having the freedom
to express yourself, to explore
00:20:34
ideas, and connect
without fear of blowback.
00:20:37
And that friend I mentioned, the start?
00:20:39
The one who wanted to tell jokes
and share her unfiltered thoughts
00:20:43
without reflecting
on her professional identity?
00:20:46
Well, she's just like all of us.
00:20:48
Just a regular person
who wants a little space to be herself.
00:20:52
Privacy
is a completely normal thing to want,
00:20:56
and you absolutely have the power
to reclaim it.
00:20:59
Start from wherever you are.
00:21:01
Every step that you take
makes a difference.
00:21:03
The Ludlow Institute is a nonprofit
dedicated to advancing
00:21:06
freedom through technology.
00:21:08
If you'd like to support this mission,
head to ludlowinstitute.org/donate.
00:21:13
We also have a shop where you can purchase
00:21:14
cool things that also support our mission.
00:21:16
Do you have a pseudonymous
social media account?
00:21:18
Post it in the comments below.
00:21:20
No, don't! It was a test.
00:21:22
Don't ever do that!
