Anonymity

Omegle Kills Off Anonymized Video Chat After Years of Abuse

Omegle was forced to shut down due to a lawsuit claiming the site gave free reign to child sexual predators.

Data Brokers Sell Secrets About Military Personnel for Pennies

A new study uncovers data brokers selling information on active-duty military service members with zero oversight, posting serious national security risks.

‘On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Dog:’ The Web’s Most Iconic Cartoon Is for Sale.

30 years later, Cyberdog is the most-shared cartoon in the history of the New Yorker, and one of the most recognizable jokes about the internet.

Judge Says Reddit Doesn’t Have to NARC on Users Who Discussed Torrenting

Movie producers suing internet service provider Grande attempted to subpoena Reddit for IP addresses and user data for accounts that discussed torrenting.

Hacker Pleads Guilty to Hijacking Biden, Elon, and Kim K’s Twitter Accounts

The 23-year-old who hacked dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts and conducted a Bitcoin scheme pleaded guilty to seven charges filed against him.

Here’s How You Can Help Shut Down the Vile Website for Snitching on People Who Get Abortions in Texas

The site was started for Texans to report violations of the state's "heartbeat bill."

Utah Lawmakers Want to Make Catfishing Illegal

House lawmakers in Utah are weighing a package of bills aimed at strengthening privacy protections and protecting citizens when they’re online. One piece of legislation that’s up for consideration would make catfishing a criminal offense in some cases. Introduced by Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, the bill is pretty straightforward. It makes it a third-degree felony to…

Court Rules Redditor Can Stay Anonymous in Significant Copyright Case

What do Reddit, free speech, and the Jehovah’s Witness religion have in common? A lawsuit regarding the right to remain anonymous online. Last week, a federal court ruled that a Redditor does not have to reveal his identity in a copyright case. In the case, a Reddit was subpoenaed by the Watchtower Bible and Tract…

UK Newsstands Will Sell ‘Porn Passes’ in Ongoing Pointless Crusade to Shield Minors From Sex

For months now, the British government has been trying to figure out how exactly to enforce a bonkers law designed to prevent minors from accessing internet porn, and it may finally have a solution. The country will use newsstands and corner stores to sell porn passes to adults that will allow them to look at…

Facebook Won’t Change Its “Real Name” Policy but Will Offer a Workaround

For nearly a decade, marginalized individuals—from transgender people to victims of abuse—have begged Facebook to change its “real name” policy. Over a year after apologizing for the controversy, Facebook definitively said it would not change the rules. But it will offer a workaround for some users. In announcing the changes, Facebook was very clear about…

Asshole Gets Busted Because Yik Yak’s Not Really Anonymous

Police arrested a suspect today for posting threats against University of Missouri students on bulletin-board style messaging app Yik Yak. This isn’t the first time a jackass has been arrested in connection with making threats on the app—because Yik Yak is not anonymous. Yik Yak plays up the fact that you don’t have to attach…

Going to DragonCon in Atlanta this weekend to show off your cosplay swag? Look for Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Project Secret Identity. Gizmodo is co-sponsoring this weekend-long project to photograph cosplayers — and protect anonymity and privacy at the same time! You have a right to be in disguise. Contact the author at [email protected]. Public PGP…

And This Is Why Gizmodo Doesn’t Collect IP Address Data

Over at Bloomberg, Virginia Postrel writesabout a grand jury subpoena issued to unmask the identities of anonymous commenters at libertarian publication Reason. Specifically, they want IP addresses, which can reveal a person’s geographical location and more. You can read the whole subpoena here, but this is the key bit: Basically, the court wants any information…

Tor Doesn’t Want to Depend on US Government Money Anymore

Tor is transforming. The anonymity service is making a concerted effort to find funding sources other than the United States government, the problematic sugar daddy that’s bankrolled Tor for years. The Daily Dot reports that Tor is making a concerted effort to diversity funding from sources from around the world and depend less on Uncle…

A Friendly Reminder: Bitcoin Is Not Anonymous 

Hello my cryptocurrency-lovin’ friends. I just want to have a casual chat, but not that casual, because I’m worried about some of you. Some of you who may be operating under the assumption that Bitcoin is anonymous. It is not. This is not a secret. I know a lot of you will be all, duh.…

I2P: The Super-Anonymous Network That Silk Road Calls Home

The infamous Silk Road resurrected itself like a junkie phoenix this month, leaving its long-time residence on Tor for a new anonymizing service called the Invisible Internet Project, or I2P. News of the high-profile dark market’s new address nudged the little-known I2P into the spotlight. Now, after a decade in the dark, the project is…

​Tor Is Still Safe

Tor is having a bit of a crisis, as it’s become increasingly clear that the wildly popular network isn’t the internet invisibility cloak it was once thought to be. Don’t panic. It’s not perfect, but it’s still the best we’ve got. The Tor network is the most popular way to get online anonymously, and that’s…

Your Favorite Anonymous App Is Not Anonymous At All

Security researchers recentlydiscovered a serious flaw in Yik Yak, the “anonymous” messaging app popular with teens. In surprisingly simple fashion, the flaw offered hackers a way to discover the identities of Yik Yak’s supposedly unnamed users. It also provides a good opportunity to issue this very important PSA: Anonymous apps aren’t anonymous at all, and…

Man, the Government Sure Likes to Blame Shit on Tor

In a non-public report, the Department of Treasury revealed that an increasing number of hackers are using the Tor network to maintain their anonymity. Surprise surprise! After all,Tor is one of the biggest online anonymity services. So the government is suggesting (again) that blocking Tor would keep hackers away, though. And while that might be…

Mozilla Is Helping Tor Get Bigger and Better

Mozilla knows what’s up. The non-profit is aware that the vast majority of its users think that privacy on the internet is falling apart, so it’s launching a new strategic privacy initiativecalled Polaris. And you’ll never guess who’s on board. Just kidding, it’s totally obvious: the Tor Project. Along with the Center for Democracy &…