Fake Profiles Create Fake Anonymity

When I first started to use the internet, I believed that anonymity was beneficial for society. It allowed individuals to freely view websites, like Google, without requiring them to disclose their personal information. My views on anonymity have changed since then because many websites now require people to create an account in order to use their services. The need for profile creation forces people to share their personal information which results in less anonymity. In order to counter the lost anonymity, individuals may disguise or lie about who and what they are, creating a false image for them to hide behind.  The dog cartoon mentioned on Cthargo's blog is a perfect example of this. The dog may create a fake profile portraying him as a person, ultimately making people believe him because there is no evidence to suggest otherwise. The dog is therefore tricking others into believing he is something else in order to obtain more anonymity.

Social networking sites such as Facebook, are subject to this need for more anonymity through fake accounts. These fake accounts allow people to talk to others somewhat anonymously and acquire information from them. This is known as Catfishing. An example of Catfishing appeared on the MTV show Catfish. In this instance, a woman named Sunny believed she had been talking to a man online, when in reality she was talking to a woman who had created the account to find a female partner. There have also been cases reported where sex offenders create a fake Facebook profile to try and lure underage girls to “meet them”. In both of these cases, anonymity has been achieved at the expense of others. Instead of these individuals displaying their true age and/or gender, they are hiding behind someone else, creating a false image that is anonymous for themselves but does not appear so to others. This can deeply humiliate and hurt others when they discover they have been tricked. Therefore, a system has to be established to prevent such distrust on the internet.

Measures have been taken by police, news reporters and parents against fake online profiles to prevent individuals from getting involved in the situations mentioned above. In some communities, police have been using fake profiles for the sole purpose of catching sex offenders online. They create a profile resembling a young girl and monitor her friend requests and inbox to identify if a sex offender is approaching her and arrest them. News reporters are involved in prevention by alerting the community of possible threats and encouraging parents to talk to their children about dangers online, as well as reminding other individuals to be cautious. Through announcements made by news reporters and the need for general safety, parents are working with children to help them understand what is safe and what is not safe online. They also encourage their children to be open with them and let them know if someone is threatening them or wants to meet them. Through these measures and the awareness of others, the “anonymity” of fake profile users will be limited, creating a safer online community.