More Indians now hiding real identities on Facebook, YouTube

New Delhi, Dec 12 : There has been a substantial increase in social media profiles by Indians who hide their real names, photos and personally identifiable information (PII), in order to not only harness free speech but also conduct malicious and harmful activities, a new report warned on Saturday.
The platform being used the most by Indian users who want to keep their identities anonymous are Facebook (76 per cent), YouTube (60 per cent), Instagram (47 per cent) and Twitter (28 per cent), according to the data provided by a global cybersecurity company Kaspersky.
While it may be frowned upon at first glance, the use of “nameless and faceless profiles” is two-pronged.
“The results unmasked how this reality allow individuals to chase their passions and to harness free speech but at the same time to conduct malicious and harmful activities”.
“From the initial purpose of finding and connecting with friends and families, social media has evolved and will continue to evolve in unprecedented ways,” said Dipesh Kaura, General Manager for South Asia, Kaspersky.
“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 in a statement.