What are the three types of anonymity?

Anonymity.

The ability to avoid or prevent disclosure of information that identifies a person. Is about secrecy: The concealment or suppression of something that is deemed undesirable. It is a protection of your identity: The protection of someone's privacy. It's a protection against any kind of reprisals: The process of protecting a person from the abuse of power by an individual or group. Finally. The act of remaining anonymous; the quality of being unknown or unrecognized; the state of being unknown; the avoidance of disclosure of the identity of a person.

What is an example of anonymity?

Anonymity is the ability of a system to hide one's identity from other entities.

For example, an anonymizer for a Web browser would be able to hide a user's browsing activity while revealing it to the content provider. It can also refer to a method that hides a user's identity from the entity being interacted with. Wikipedia's page about anonymity mentions three such cases:

Identity masking: Anonymity as used by WikiLeaks and the Anonymous movement. Non-repudiation: Anonymity as used in cryptography (more specifically, zero-knowledge proof systems). Eavesdropping protection: Anonymity as used by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I don't think the first two are exactly synonymous with security, but I am not a cryptographer so I don't know. In addition to the other answers: Anonymity is simply the property of allowing someone to hide or conceal his or her identity. I would also like to point out that anonymity is not the same as security. There are some systems that are secure but not anonymous, and vice versa.

Anonymity also has implications on its own.

Why do people hide behind anonymity?

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and it's gotten me thinking about anonymity.

Some people, whether they realize it or not, hide behind the anonymity of the Internet. They don't use their real names, they don't put their pictures up online, and they don't tell anybody who they are. Why do they do this?

Anonymity is not to be taken lightly. There are many reasons why people might hide behind the veil of anonymity. Perhaps they are afraid of being judged by others for their actions. Maybe they are just trying to escape from the everyday problems that face us all. However, for the sake of this discussion, let's take the first reason out of the equation, and focus on the others.

Some people on the Internet have their opinions, their thoughts, their ideas, their feelings, and their dreams, which they want to share with others. However, they don't want to reveal their identities because they are afraid of being judged by others.

This can be a very dangerous thing to do. In fact, I would argue that it's downright foolish. The reason people hide behind anonymity is because of their own self-esteem. They think that if they are wrong, or if their opinions are wrong, then their opinion doesn't matter. Or, maybe they are afraid of being "judged" by others. So, they hide behind anonymity.

I've been guilty of this myself. I've been guilty of hiding behind the Internet, hiding behind the veil of anonymity, because I am afraid of being judged. I'm afraid of being judged by you, the readers, for what I say. I'm afraid that if you do not agree with me, you will not like me. I'm afraid that if I'm wrong, or my opinion is wrong, that you will think poorly of me.

But, you see, this is where I have been wrong. I have been judging others, and I have been judging myself, because I am afraid of being judged by others, and I have been judging myself, because I am afraid that I am wrong, and I have been judging others, because I think that they are wrong, and I have been judging others, because they think that I am wrong, and so on and so forth.