If you think what deanon is, and it is worth knowing about it only for general development, then you are deeply mistaken. Each Internet user should be at least basic informed about the rules for its safe use.
Teenagers use the benefits of the virtual world constantly, therefore they are more savvy in these matters. But even the young, âadvancedâ generation can make problems if it does not get enough insight into the issue of digital security.
The World Wide Web has âgrown togetherâ so much with our habitual existence that the consequences of such interaction can be far more serious than everyone is used to thinking.
What does the word "deanonymization" mean?
What is deanon (deanonymization)? This word consists of two parts: anonymous and prefix de, which indicates denial. It means that it is quite obvious that the process of violation of the status is âanonymousâ by the Internet user or other people (using deanonymization methods).
In simple words - when a personâs personal data on the Internet becomes public. Everything is considered to be personal: from children's photos to the place of work.
Even cautious Internet users leave a lot of âtracesâ of their stay online. Therefore, those who asked the question of declassification, sometimes do not have to particularly go deep into the search. Often the information is in various open sources. And you just need to know where to look for it.
Key terms related to deanonymization
To understand further explanations of what deanon is, and in what ways other people's personal data is found, it is worth knowing the basic terms:
- User - any person who uses the Internet and has any profiles, registrations.
- Anonymization is the process of hiding your personal data.
- Anonymity - when a character on the Internet is not connected with any real person.
- Profile - a personal page of a user in social networks, on other sites, which contains personal data.
- Nickname is the nickname that the user has set on the Internet.
What data do you open during registration
Deanonymization of users in 95% of cases is based on the data that they themselves inadvertently post in the public domain. When you register your profile somewhere and fill it with data, you transfer personal information not only to the administration, but also to everyone who can extract it.
Typically, a profile on a site or forum contains at least a few items. Consider what data you usually report yourself:
- Date of Birth. This parameter is specified in most profiles. Even if you noted âdo not show the date of birth on the questionnaireâ, the information may still âpop upâ. For example, due to the corresponding nickname (Pavel1991). Or thanks to the pop-up alert "Today is N's birthday."
- Country city. Usually the exact address is not indicated anywhere (except for online stores). But for small cities, one name is enough. Further, you can already be searched in open databases or even just by a list of acquaintances.
- Post office. Many do not include the mailbox address in personal data, but in vain. The ânameâ of the box itself may already contain references to other personal information (like the year of birth, in the example above). Also through the mailbox you can find other resources on which you are registered.
What methods are used for deanonymization
What is deanon, you already understood. But what methods are used to bring a person to "clean water"?
- Photo. Searching for pictures and using some services will allow you to find information about a person from his photos. So the more often you use the same frame on different sites, the easier it will be to link them all together.
- Nicky. The same goes for nicknames. Users do not like to remember different logins and passwords, therefore they often use the same data. With deanonymization, they can be easily combined.
- Speech. When âdigging deeperâ beneath you, even the analysis of speech features can go into the course. Our texts, the use of specific words and terms, punctuation marks, give out with the head the level of human development. The manner of writing is quite difficult to fake.
- Work. Narrow-profile workers can be easily calculated through individual professional sites and resources, as well as using expert terminology or materials.
- Friend list. According to your list of friends on one resource, you can "restore" your identity to another without any problems. Even if there is no information about you or it will be replaced by false information.
Deanonymization and social networks
What is deanon in VK? You already understand that this means creating a connection between a fake user of a social network and a real person. Perhaps one cannot find another such complete source of information about the user as his VKontakte profile. There is a list of friends, a place of study or work, and personal interests.
This social network is also connected to a number of others. So, having found a person in VK, you can get an almost complete Internet portrait of him.
The same can be said about the social network Facebook. No matter how carefully the developers are concerned with the safety of personal data, they lose some information. For example, you should go to the password recovery page and indicate the email address of the âvictimâ, as Facebook will helpfully show you the personâs name and profile picture.
What is dangerous deanonymization
What is dangerous deanonymization for stars, politicians, serious entrepreneurs, this is understandable. Private information that accidentally gets into the network, which can be associated with a famous person, is, most often, a cross throughout the career. Or at least a serious stain on her. But why should ordinary people know about this, who do not hide special secrets?
First of all, each of us leaves traces of our stay on the network. And after some time, some of them become unpleasant facts or evidence of error. For example, when it comes to using a thematic forum, with which you no longer want to recognize ties. Or public evidence of your online love that ended unhappily. Everyone tends to make mistakes, and there is nothing to worry about. But you must admit, itâs unpleasant when these ghosts of the past come up. Especially when someone finds them they are not intended for.
Also, scammers can âfish outâ and use private information. For example, at a forum of young mothers you discussed with your friends what to take on vacation, which you leave with the whole family in a week. What do scammers see in this correspondence? That your apartment will be empty. The only thing left is to calculate the address of your residence (and modern technologies really allow you to do this without difficulty). In this case, the price of deanonymization can be especially high!
About deanonymization is worth remembering for those who are looking for work. The personal data of VKontakte users will not always look positive in the eyes of the HR department. For example, posts that you conflicted with the boss at the last job. Or an abundance of groups with erotic content. Even a list of friends can âplayâ against you!
Nowadays, everyone has the right to decide what tactics to choose: carefully hide all their data or calmly use the Internet and be one of a million such people. In any case, everyone needs to know what deanon is. The younger generation should be more careful about the dissemination of personal data, and the older should teach their children and control them in this.