At one point in being on the Internet and creating dozens of accounts, we are faced with one disturbing fact. Our internet presence is not anonymous. What to do with this fact, how to deal with it, and plan our anonymity on the Internet?
As ordinary internet users, we are used to our nickname that we use every day. The problem begins if our nickname used in games is not separated from our so-called “private” accounts. Why? Let’s imagine that our in-game statement is quite controversial for one person we meet. Entering our nickname in the Google search engine itself may cause that the person who displayed results will indicate our profile on Facebook or LinkedIn. The same goes for forums like Reddit, the 9GAG community, or commenting on YouTube videos. The standard rule - “Nothing is lost on the Internet” and “If it’s on the internet, it’s no longer (only) yours” - is often overlooked in this case. However, it is worth remembering about additional security, such as having multiple nicknames, because thanks to this, we can feel comfortable on the Internet itself.
It’s good to remember, that additionally, we have to watch out for leaks. If an application for food delivery leaks address data, and our login is quite widespread on the Internet, we can expect that after one of the worse matches in the MMO game, we can expect a letter from your teammate with a “thank you” in the mailbox. Alternatively, using a similar method, we can check whether the seller of the item at the auction is not trying to cheat us (Like when I wanted to buy an item for $ 300). By checking his nickname in Google, I found his Facebook and LinkedIn public profiles - and thanks to such targeting, I knew that the purchased item will be in good and tidy condition (apart from the fact that it was clear where he often dined, what cuisine he likes and many other pieces of information… ).
An additional problem that can happen to us in the life of an online person is having all accounts attached to one email. As far as it is, it’s not about the risk of hacking our account and extracting data by using the password reminder method. We must remember that we are also dependent on one mail provider. Quite recently, at the beginning of 2021, it happened that Google services stopped working for a while. What if access to our data suddenly disappears? The second bad news is a shared account in Google services. What if we get banned from YouTube? Our account with videos will be lost - well, it happens if we accidentally break some rules or get a Copywrite strike 3 times. However, it turns out that the ban on the account does not stop only on the YouTube service - it affects our full private Google account - where we keep our photos, contacts, e-mail, integration with phones, browsing history, and have payment cards attached. All this can be lost like for a given user of the portal.
Recently, I started to use the principle of separation of accounts and try to migrate data. Some tips to start:
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Separate nickname and email
- private accounts which I intentionally sign with my names, such as photography or blog
- discussion forums (Reddit)
- shopping accounts (Amazon / AliExpress)
- games and libraries
- video content created (Twitch / Youtube)
- Just in case, I recommend sharing mailboxes between different providers, such as the main Google for our personal contacts, but also e.g. proton mail for everyone else
- We may have our password bank in the cloud, but I recommend that you synchronize passwords with the KeePass file from time to time
Maybe the method works and I will not be afraid of unambiguously connecting my nickname in the mobile game with my private person in the first 3 minutes of any match. Time will tell, for now, I am adjusting the results and checking to what extent the given pool of accounts and addresses is sufficient and not burdensome for me.