Anonymity
How to hide your identity
Staying anonymous on the internet is a tough challenge – some say, it is impossible nowadays. There are in fact a lot of things journalists and their sources have to take into account if they want to operate "under the radar". To hide an online identity, a single program is not enough, but with a bunch of tools and behavioural rules, this can be achieved to an extent. The question is not so much about "being completely anonymous" as it is about "anonymous to whom"?
In this chapter, we provide basic information on how online anonymity is technically provided and what key questions journalists and sources need to answer before using these products. Moreover, we provide information about VPNs and the Tor network.