Website anonymity on the internet, Pros and Cons. FAQs.

Website anonymity on the internet pros and cons.

Having Website anonymity on the internet first and foremost allows you to speak freely without any fear of repercussions. This is both a major pro and a major con as well. But there are more. 

In this post, we are going to go over the pros and cons of website anonymity on the internet.

We will also go over some frequently asked questions that you need to consider before committing yourself to either full internet transparency for a website or creating a website and persona with full internet anonymity.

Website anonymity on the internet, Pros:

• Freedom of expression.
• Avoid frivolous DMCA takedown notices from opponents looking to take down your website.
• No one knows who you are.
• Website anonymity gives you an additional peace of mind that people can’t connect your website and internet persona to your real identity. It’s a lack of stress that a lot of people find appealing.
• Internet anonymity allows you to express an opinion without the fear that someone will come around to your house and confront you for expressing it. A great way to avoid stalkers.
• Freer to express legal opinions without fear of unfair negative repercussions from friends, followers, and society in general. For example, on more contentious and emotive political issues that your family, friends and even work colleagues may oppose.
• Having website privacy is important for free and open discussions.
• It enables webmasters to answer personal questions without violating their own wish for privacy. This is especially helpful in sensitive topics like sex, dating or medical issues. Less judgment. Allows open expression without getting heavily judged on sensitive and controversial topics.
• It allows you to have and voice out very unpopular opinions.
• It lets people who live in oppressive societies to participate in more open debates.
• Having website anonymity allows people to become potential whistle-blowers. “What is it like to work at XYZ Corporation?” for example. We need anonymous places if we want to hear about the negative sides of working at certain companies from people still on the inside.
• It allows webmasters to experience, to a limited degree, what it’s like to be someone they can’t be in reality based on their real life circumstances like marriage, relationships both professional and private. 
• You might want to write and publish online in order to try out ideas or to offer an explanation or to give an answer without wanting your contribution to be linked with your professional work. This will help you avoid professional criticism while still receiving feedback and fine tuning your opinions.

Website anonymity on the internet, Cons:

• Having website anonymity can bring out the worst in people who hide bad behavior behind their website’s anonymity.
• There is no accountability on the internet so nobody has any reason to tell the truth or not to be a complete jerk.
• Your website can easily become a feedback loop reinforcing your lowest common denominator thoughts by not fearing being challenged.
• Since no one knows who you are, no one believes you.
• Ultimately, it’s important not to discount the empathetic value of being upfront and transparent. It adds weight and credibility to your content and opinions. There is a strong indicator that you believe in what you’re saying and that you intend to be around for the long term.
• Being identifiable gives your readers a face to the name and helps them to feel more connected to you as a result because they can actually envision you as a real person just like them. Your readers will then feel like they could relate to you more, rather than you just being another disconnected anonymous voice like the ones they usually encounter in online forums and chat rooms.
• The downside of internet anonymity is it allows comments from potential trolls and other undesirables to be as abusive as they want. You really would have to stay on top of your comments sections or disable it altogether if they get out of hand.
• Anonymity does not always mean anonymous. Your webhost, payment processors, credit card company that pays your hosting, even the government can ultimately find out exactly who you are and can still dox you at will or if pressured to do so. Only some expert in IT could truly come close to being really anonymous.
• You may have to constantly deal with a very high level of hostility from the community you create around or website. Everybody will begin to question your anonymity, accuse you of being a coward and taunt you into revealing your true identity name.
• Difficult to build credibility. Your readers may question how trustworthy the information you provide is unless backed by facts or reliable studies.
• The obvious problem is that writing anonymously could be regarded as inherently dishonest. This is directly due to a lack of transparency. Is the person who’s writing on some subject or political statement a true expert, authentic activist or merely a propagandist or just a troll from their basement?

Those are just some of the pros and cons of having website anonymity on the internet. 

However, I’m sure there are more. So you really have to weigh your own pros and cons yourself before making the decision on whether or not website anonymity on the internet is for you.

How to make your website anonymous on the internet?

Personally, after all the research I’ve done on the subject of making your website anonymous on the internet, there is no full proof way of being totally anonymous on the internet. 

Sure, we read about hackers based in other countries hacking vital infrastructure of other countries for example.

But just because a website or a person is undetectable in one country doesn’t make them anonymous in the country they are actually located in to the local authorities of that country.

However, if your goal of having an anonymous website is to simply be able to express yourself with content that is not considered illegal in most countries, nor the activities you plan on conducting through your website are also not illegal, then you can set yourself up a website pretty anonymously. 

Protecting yourself from nefarious characters who disagree with your opinions and will look for any means necessary to take you down is important. 

That’s why you should start out with getting yourself an Offshore Web Hosting plan through a company located in a country that has strong Freedom of Speech laws as well as strict Privacy Protections.

How does using a VPN make a person anonymous on the internet?

Technically, a VPN can make a person anonymous on the internet.

However, not all VPNs are the same. Neither will simply getting any old VPN make your website visits anonymous as well.

In fact, you could still get a VPN, yet remain traceable. 

Here is a post that you should check out on how to use a VPN in order to remain anonymous on the internet properly, “DMCA ignored countries which offer a VPN and why get it.“

How does Offshore Web Hosting protect website anonymity on the internet?

Offshore Web Hosting can add a layer of anonymity to protect your website on the internet from frivolous DMCA takedown notices for example. 

Also, if you get your Offshore Web Hosting in a country like Iceland, you will also be protected by that country’s strong Freedom of Speech laws as well as their strict privacy protections. 

As long as you’re not putting up content on your website that is considered illegal in most countries, including Iceland, then you should be good to go and remain anonymous while being able to express yourself on your own website as you see fit.

Check out these 2 posts where we go into Offshore Web Hosting for your website and how to get it, “How to host a website anonymously. Anonymous website hosting FAQs.” and “Hosting a website in another country. Why and how to do it.”

Website anonymity on the internet Pros and Cons, conclusions.

There you have it, I’ve identified with the potential pros and cons of website anonymity on the internet. I know, this can be confusing. 

However, I think striking the right balance between protecting yourself from nefarious characters who want to attack and take your website down because they oppose your opinions and beliefs and your privacy while most importantly, being true to yourself is key. 

But why not have the best of both worlds? You can identify yourself as closely with your online profiles in name and content as possible, while not revealing your true identity.

Therefore, post content that you would normally identify with or support in “real-life” relationships. Share that same type of content that you would with your inner circle of friends, but online to your readers.

I guess it ultimately comes down to the content. Is your content aligned with who you are? The best asset of any website is the human one. Human beings, for better or worse, naturally respond to other human beings. 

Get the best of both worlds. Create an anonymous website that protects you for the right reasons, so you can really feel free to express yourself without the fear of repercussions.