Building a new digital identity from scratch

As outlined in the practical guide, there are several ways to achieve decent anonymity. This also applies to creating a new digital identity. However, all of these methods share several common steps

We can pose the question more broadly. How can one create a completely new identity not only in the digital world but also offline? This is obviously a much more reliable way to cover one's tracks and eliminate the trail of old identities. This requires replacing offline documents and/or changing one's place of residence. Sometimes, a temporary move to a village or another country is sufficient (some citizens facing administrative or criminal liability for political offenses do this). But this topic has been sufficiently covered in the literature, so let's focus on creating a new digital identity.

The approximate procedure is as follows.

Cash

First, you'll need cash. Good old countries still issue paper bills. You need to withdraw them from your account or earn them. Ideally, you'll need at least $1,000, but the more, the better.

Buying Devices

You can go to a computer club or other place with a computer with internet access. You'll need it to create an email address. To enter a computer club, pay cash and log in anonymously.

Instead of the standard Gmail, it's best to register for a free Protonmail account. Don't include any personal information or dates anywhere, including your email address; only a nickname. A password of three or four words is recommended. It's best to memorize it rather than write it down. Password managers are a different matter.

Next, you can search flea markets like Avito or Kufar for good smartphones and laptops. For example, a Google Pixel 3a smartphone and a Lenovo Thinkpad laptop. You can save $250-$300 on a phone and $450-$500 on a laptop at a flea market, compared to the price of a new device in the store. Make sure the devices are in working condition and have decent specifications. Arrange a convenient time with the seller to meet in a public place to complete the transaction, and pay in cash.

Once we have the devices, it's time to work on them.

Laptop

The laptop will most likely come with Windows installed. You'll need to uninstall it. You can go to a nearby mall and buy an 8GB USB flash drive. Malls usually also have free Wi-Fi, so head to the food court, open the laptop, and download Pop!OS and Balena Etcher (this is just one option: anonymous access can be achieved on other Linux distributions as well; using Windows as the primary operating system is not recommended; only in a virtual machine). Create a bootable USB drive using Pop!OS and Balena Etcher. Install Pop!OS on the laptop over Windows.

Phone

Once Pop!OS is installed on your computer, return to the free Wi-Fi, download CalyxOS, and the flashing tool. Use the flashing tool to install CalyxOS on the Pixel 3a. On first boot, we activate MicroG, an open-source implementation of Google libraries. It will allow you to use a fake Google account for some background services.

Get Bitcoin

Now that your mobile phone is working properly, it's time to install a Bitcoin wallet. For example, Samourai Wallet. You can write down your passphrase and 12 recovery words on a piece of paper. Then, go to a local crypto hangout and find someone willing to sell $300 worth of Bitcoin. The coins will be deposited directly into the Samourai Wallet mobile app.

Get a SIM card

The next step is to gain access to a mobile operator and register a mobile number anonymously. There are various options here, too. For example, a poor student or other low-income citizen can register a real SIM card for a small fee. Another option is to use anonymous eSIM sales services like silent.link. Buy an eSIM and top up your account with Bitcoin. Import the eSIM into your Pixel 3a, and now you have completely anonymous access to mobile networks worldwide.

Never buy so-called "secure phones," install commercial anonymous messengers, or similar services like EncroChat and Sky ECC. Experience shows that these centralized services can have a negative impact, eventually revealing all users and their message history. Your own security can only be ensured by yourself, preferably using open-source tools.

Updating your home configuration

This section assumes you have a home internet connection. Unfortunately, connecting to your home internet requires identity verification and payment through traditional banking systems, not Bitcoin.

It's best not to use your home connection at all with your new digital identity. Only with your old identity, which is linked to your real name. For security, it's recommended to connect to the internet via public Wi-Fi. If necessary, install a directional antenna. A similar antenna can be carried in a backpack.

In Russia, your internet provider is required to store metadata about your internet connection for several months or years. At a minimum, these are logs indicating the time you visited certain websites.

If you absolutely need to use your home internet (it's practically impossible to do so anonymously), it's advisable to purchase a VPN like Mullvad and pay for an annual subscription in Bitcoin. You can also buy a router that can be upgraded with firmware like pfSense. The router's system is configured so that all devices on your home network are protected by a VPN.

You can install your own VPN server on the pfSense router to access your network from anywhere in the world.

Ideally, you should work through a VPN/proxy on your own server hosted with cash or Monero. A list of suitable hosting providers can be found on the Monero website.

A few details

Next, you can focus on hosting your own data, avoiding third-party services that can be easily accessed by third parties.

Buy an inexpensive desktop at a flea market, install Pop!_OS or another favorite Linux distribution, and create a Nextcloud virtual machine and a BitwardenRS virtual machine to host the services. Nextcloud will store your calendar, contacts, photos, and other documents. BitwardenRS will be your password manager. Be sure to back up all this information by storing the virtual machine images on a separate encrypted SSD/HDD or on multiple drives physically separated for security.

Next, you can consider setting up your own Bitcoin node on a computer running Ubuntu Server, as well as mining or another way to anonymously earn cryptocurrency. You can install Bitcoin, Block Explorer, Samourai Wallet Dojo, Whirlpool, Lightning, and BTCPay Server on the server to accept payments. Here, create a new Samourai wallet, connect it to Dojo, and mix the coins using the Whirlpool mixer.

If you're short on time and need a quick and easy solution, consider using a Raspberry Pi package like myNode, Umbrel, Raspiblitz, or Ronin.

Conclusion

It's best to never sign up for Google, Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, or Instagram. For social media, you can install a Mastodon/Pleroma instance on your hosting.

Don't use your real email address anywhere; it's better to use aliases like simplelogin.io, disposable addresses like Guerrilla Mail (the site is currently down by the host), or Getnada.

Whenever possible, it's best to use free and open-source software.

Of course, this is just one way to create a new digital identity and surf the internet anonymously. For more information on other options, see the Anonymous Planet practical guide.

And remember, no amount of advice will help you maintain your anonymity if someone really serious (like the NSA/FSB/Mossad) is interested in you. So it's best to be discreet and avoid attracting attention.