I’ve had friends and family tell me that I’m not anonymous online, although I deleted my social media accounts and when I’m hesitant to “just download the app”. They can still look me up online, find pictures, videos, my website etc. My goal was never to become anonymous, my goal is to be in control of my own stuff.

# What is anonymity and privacy

Anonymity is often confused for privacy, but there is a clear distinction.

Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively.

Anonymity describes situations where the acting person’s identity is unknown. One could think of anonymity as the complete disassociation of your online activities from your real-life identity.

# Why I care

As I mentioned before, I want to be in control of my own stuff. I don’t want anyone else to have control and then inevitably lose that control when something happens. I don’t want my stuff floating around the interwebs out of my reach and control, and I can still achieve this without having to be anonymous.