Online anonymity is over for now

"We show that large language models can be used to perform at-scale deanonymization. With full Internet access, our agent can re-identify Hacker News users and Anthropic Interviewer participants at high precision, given pseudonymous online profiles and conversations alone, matching what would take hours for a dedicated human investigator. We then design attacks for the closed-world setting.

Our results show that the practical obscurity protecting pseudonymous users online no longer holds and that threat models for online privacy need to be reconsidered."

  • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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    1 day ago

    Ok, here’s a simple solution:

    1. Live a country with protected free speech
    2. Don’t hold any controversial opinions
    3. If you do have controversial opinions keep them to yourself
    4. Don’t comment on pornhub

    Follow those simple rules and you should be fine.

    • lelovsky@szmer.info
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      1 day ago

      I think the problem is that sharing any opinion can be turned into a controversial one. It the matter of who is the judge. Something you think is acceptable to share may not be deemed acceptable by an opposing party.

      I’d replace ”controversial” with ”unique” or ”non-conformist”.

      Standing out is risky.

    • Tattorack@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Ok, let’s see… How do I fare:

      1. Check. Already doing that. Denmark has pretty good free speech.
      2. Uhh…
      3. Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh
      4. Check. Don’t have a pornhub account.
  • Funwayguy@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I think anyone who’s paid any attention to targeted advertising has know this long before LMMs were a thing. Removing the ‘easy answer’ is just a legal formality at this point and does little to nothing for the privacy it claims to protect. Advertisers like Google like it that way and will fight tooth and nail against any ‘reconsiderations’