Disturbing Trend: More & More Indians Hiding Identity On FB, YouTube, Instagram

New Delhi: In a disturbing trend, more and more Indians have been found to be hiding their identity in social media profiles. In other words, they are using fake names, photos and personally identifiable information (PII) while opening an account.

According to data provided by global cybersecurity company Kaspersky, 76% Indian users are keeping their identity anonymous on Facebook, 60% on YouTube, 47% on Instagram and 28% on Twitter.

Users in ‘disguise’ have a two-pronged liberty.

“The results unmasked how this reality allows individuals to chase their passion and harness free speech and at the same time conduct malicious and harmful activities,” Dipesh Kaura, General Manager for South Asia, Kaspersky, said in a statement.

“From the initial purpose of finding and connecting with friends and families, social media has evolved and will continue to evolve in unprecedented ways. It has played a key role on how we socialise and identify with each other, but now, we have arrived at a fork in the road where virtual profiles of both individuals and companies are being used as a parameter for judgment,” Kaura said.

During the survey, conducted in November, three in 10 users in Asia Pacific region admitted to having a social media profile without their real identity.

Fifty-nine per cent of respondents said that they use anonymous accounts to exercise freedom of speech without affecting their reputation, while 53% wanted to indulge in secret interests that they didn’t want their friends to know.