Anonymous communication

Choosing to be anonymous online by using a different name or adopting an avatar has benefits and risks. Knowing what they are can help keep online spaces safer for you and others too.

On this page:

• What is anonymous communication?
• The benefits of anonymous communication
• The risks of anonymous communication
• How to get help for online abuse
• More information

Anonymous online communication means choosing to contact people and share content without revealing your real name and other personally identifiable information such as your age and location.

Some sites, games and apps allow people to use a fake name (a ‘pseudonym’ or ‘alias’) or a virtual representation such as an avatar for public communication to protect their privacy. In this case, only the platform or service knows the person’s real identity – this is sometimes known as ‘identity shielding’ or ‘partial anonymity’.

Platforms and services that expect account holders to use their real details when signing up (whether or not they allow identity shielding for public content) don’t always have systems that allow them to verify the information is true. This means it can be hard to stop fake accounts being created by people who want to avoid detection. Also, some chatrooms and message board sites are set up specifically to allow people to communicate anonymously, so no personal details are required at all.

While there are benefits to anonymous communication, research shows that it can make people feel they don’t have to be honest and follow community guidelines. Also, if their behaviour is antisocial, abusive or illegal, it’s difficult to identify who they are, stop them and discourage others from thinking they can get away with doing it too.

Protecting your personal information

Keeping your full name and other personally identifiable information private can prevent unwanted contact and help protect your safety and security. For example, eSafety encourages children only to use their given name, a nickname or an avatar online instead of their full real name and photo. This makes it more difficult for potential abusers to find and harm them.

Being anonymous can also allow you to limit or control how your personal data is collected and stored, as well as who can access and use it. This can help prevent intrusive web-tracking for purposes such as marketing.

Preventing stalking and harassment

Remaining anonymous or shielding your identifying information makes it more difficult for others to stalk or harass you. This can be especially important for people or communities at high risk of hate-based harassment, or for those experiencing coercive control or domestic and family violence.

Expressing yourself without fear

Remaining anonymous can make people feel that it’s safe to communicate openly, sharing their ideas, opinions and feedback without fearing punishment. This can work in the public interest – supporting freedom of speech, allowing laws and beliefs to be criticised and challenged, and encouraging honest responses in surveys and reviews.

Being able to remain anonymous supports whistleblowers to expose corruption or unethical practices without fear of retaliation. It also encourages people to report crimes. For example, eSafety’s illegal and restricted online content scheme allows people to anonymously report online content such as child sexual abuse material and material that shows self-harm, terrorism or other extreme violence, so eSafety can get it taken down.

Keeping real details private can also allow people to freely explore their sexuality and gender identity with other like-minded people, without being pressured to conform or ‘fit in’ and with less risk of being harassed or ‘outed’ to family and friends. Find out more at the LGBTIQ+ learning lounge.

Like many features of online platforms and services, things that can be helpful may also be harmful if misused.

Abusive online behaviour

Reports made to eSafety show that the risk of online abuse, including harassment, trolling and hateful comments, increases if people think their words and actions are anonymous. This is also highlighted by research – for example,

eSafety’s research with members of the LGBTIQ+ community found people often feel they can ‘hide behind the screen’ and be more hurtful or unintentionally blunt when they are online.

Some people set up fake accounts specifically to target and abuse another person and without them knowing who’s responsible. For example, sometimes this is used as a ‘gaslighting’ scare tactic in coercive control linked to domestic and family violence.

Identifying the real person behind abusive online behaviour can also be an issue if they set up a fake account in someone else’s name to mock, discredit or bully them, or harm other people.

Scamming

Fake accounts are commonly used by criminals to lure victims, gain their trust and scam them. Sexual extortion (or ‘sextortion’) is a form of blackmail that often starts with contact from someone who pretends to be an attractive young woman who wants to share ‘sexy pics’. Romance scams use ‘catfishing’ techniques, where criminals pretend to be in a real online relationship with their victim so they can trick them out of money or intimate content.

Even when fake accounts are shut down, the people behind them may set up more accounts under other fake names so they can continue with abuse, blackmail and fraud. This is often the case when overseas criminals are running scams.

Child sexual abuse

A common tactic used by predators for grooming children for sexual abuse is to hide behind an avatar, fictional character or fake profile to make a connection and encourage a friendship. Sometimes they pretend to be the same age as the child and have the same interests. You can read more on protecting children from sexual abuse online.

Anonymous chatrooms and message boards are also known to be used for illegally sharing or trading child sexual abuse material, because it’s difficult to detect and punish the criminals who use them.

Spreading misinformation

Anonymity can allow users to intentionally spread fake news and untrue or misleading information online without consequences. For example, there’s evidence of fake accounts being set up to manipulate public opinion and interfere in elections in a number of countries. Read more about how to check for fake news and misinformation.

It can be distressing to experience anonymous online abuse, including being tricked by someone with a fake account. When the person who targeted you can’t be identified and held responsible for their actions, it can add to the frustration. But it’s important to remember you’re not alone, and there’s help available.

Often the online platform or service used by the other person to contact you can help, if you report the abuse to them. In very serious cases, eSafety may be able to use special legal powers to find out the identity of the other person and help stop the harm.

Follow the steps to report serious online abuse:

• Collect evidence – take screenshots of what has happened and where.
• Report it:
  • Harmful posts, comments, messages and profiles should be reported to the online platform or service first – you can find many of their links listed in The eSafety Guide. If they don’t help, and the abuse is very serious, report it to eSafety.
  • Sharing or threatening to share an intimate image or video of you without your consent is image-based abuse – it can be reported to eSafety immediately unless you’re being blackmailed. If you’re being blackmailed, go to our advice on how to deal with sexual extortion.
• Stop contact, mute them on social media platforms, tighten your security settings and prevent content from being shared further.
• Get more support – with strategies to manage the impacts of cyberbullying, adult cyber abuse or image-based abuse. You can also find counselling and support services that are right for you.

Find out more about reporting the most serious online abuse and harmful content to eSafety.

Visit The eSafety Guide to find out more about specific online services, platforms and games that use anonymous communication. More information is available in eSafety’s tech trends paper anonymity and identity shielding.