AI Allows Hackers To Identify Anonymous Social Media Accounts, Study Finds (theguardian.com)
- Reference: 0180931730
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/03/09/0428241/ai-allows-hackers-to-identify-anonymous-social-media-accounts-study-finds
- Source link: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/08/ai-hackers-social-media-accounts-study
> AI has made it vastly easier for malicious hackers to identify anonymous social media accounts, a new study has warned. In most test scenarios, large language models (LLMs) -- the technology behind platforms such as ChatGPT -- [1]successfully matched anonymous online users with their actual identities on other platforms , based on the information they posted. The AI researchers Simon Lermen and Daniel Paleka said LLMs make it cost effective to perform sophisticated privacy attacks, forcing a "fundamental reassessment of what can be considered private online".
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> In their [2]experiment , the researchers fed anonymous accounts into an AI, and got it to scrape all the information it could. They gave a hypothetical example of a user talking about struggling at school, and walking their dog Biscuit through a "Dolores park." In that hypothetical case, the AI then searched elsewhere for those details and matched @anon_user42 to the known identity with a high degree of confidence. While this example was fictional, the paper's authors highlighted scenarios in which governments use AI to surveil dissidents and activists posting anonymously, or hackers are able to launch "highly personalized" scams.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/08/ai-hackers-social-media-accounts-study
[2] https://simonlermen.substack.com/p/large-scale-online-deanonymization
AI can find it faster (Score:2)
but if you are spouting out localizing information and trying to be anonymous, then you are engaging in a futile effort. AI just makes it faster other than having a team of people running through information. If you are a savvy anonymous user, then you don't write localizing information in the first place or information that can tie the accounts together.
Re: (Score:2)
It won't need all that sport of information. It'll be able to recognize patterns in the usage of the words themselves.
Re: AI can find it faster (Score:2)
As long as you aren't using any locally identifying language or specific slang then I doubt you can tell one person definitely from another via word choice alone. At least not within a sea of multiple accounts. If you were given two pieces of text and had to surmise if they were the same person sure but one to millions without a specific phrase that's unique to the author I'd be surprised.
It would be a hell of a lot more helpful.. (Score:2)
..if AI helped identify the AI slop-infested dogshit acting as "anonymous" to enrage a partisan populous.
Let's see how good it is at telling on itself. For clickbait and spams sake.
So that’s why the US government wants it (Score:2)
People thought it was to help identify military targets. Now we really know it is to identify anyone. Hence everyone is a military target. Good to know.
Anonymous accounts are easy to identify (Score:2)
Anonymous accounts are easy to identify - they don't have a real name on them.
Oh, you meant the accounts were de-anonymized and the users identified ?
Then write that.
I learned this lesson 27 years ago (Score:2)
as a troll used search engines to cross-reference various clues I had inadvertently left behind on the internet to dox me. It only required determination, not rocket science. Bots have all the time in the world to clue-hop.
Who posts their real information online? (Score:1)
Literally no one thinks they can post their address, dog's name and car type on Facebook, post their dog's name, city and car type on Slashdot, and remain anonymous. And you SHOULD be posting lies about yourself anyway, just in case. Post a snippet about being too cold in late summer. Post about your pet parakeet when you have a cat. Post about your brother when you're an only child.
Anonymity (Score:2)
Lying to yourself is the biggest danger for trying to stay Anonymous. With enough patterns to recognize, the idea that one can hide is a delusional take.
The only way to win, is to run EVERYTHING you post through an AI that changes the tone and words used in all your online activity. But even then that may itself be a lie.
This is new news? (Score:2)
Like, Facebook did this nearly 20 years ago now when it would suggest new people to follow. JFC it was creepy when a throw-away fake account would get suggestions on who to follow and it would be both a friend's secret account to hide from her stalker, and also her abuser/ex/stalker.
Big tech is a big problem for victims of domestic violence.
But hey, it's all worth it for the optimal personalized mattress sales and increase in shareholder value.
a day in the park (Score:2)
I was walking my dog, Felicity, through Hegsketh park yesterday when I came across an oak tree, which, as you know, is an all consuming personal interest of mine
Re: a day in the park (Score:2)
It's not that surprising using hyper specific terms across multiple accounts leads to linking them. Who could have seen that coming. Pretty sure we were doing this before LLMs anyway. Status quo is to just lie about everything and you'll keep being anon.