Abstract

It is quite easy to personate others or commit identity fraud or theft online, where some anti- social and illegal behaviours have gained currency in the form of hate crimes, harassment, and violence, increasingly threatening the security of people's digital identity (and also their real identity). If the private sphere of individuals is to be protected, the information stored on their mobile devices and put out on the Web needs to be monitored and protected. To be sure, the Internet offers a vast array of tools and methods by which its users can protect their identity; by the same token, however, the technologies by which to achieve secrecy and anonymity expand the possibilities for criminal enterprise, making it harder to prevent unlawful behaviour. This article reflects on the relation between online identity and anonymity in situations where a conflict may arise among personal freedom, digital security, and effective crime prevention.