In some countries, a public position may be monitored. In other situations, risk may come from an employer, family member, former partner, armed group or people who harass others online. That is why I believe a peace declaration should not require you to surrender your name, email address or other details you would rather keep private.
This is an important part of Signup4Peace. But “anonymous” is a word that can easily promise too much. No ordinary website can guarantee perfect anonymity. The responsible approach is to explain what is collected, what choices you have and what limitations remain.
Private, anonymous and secure are not the same
- Private means information is not displayed publicly.
- Anonymous means the information cannot be linked to an identifiable person.
- Secure means risk has been reduced in a way that fits the specific situation.
An email address can remain private on a website while still identifying its owner to the operator. Incognito mode may remove local browsing history afterwards, but it does not hide your IP address from the website or your internet provider. Tor Browser can hide your real IP address from the website, but you can still identify yourself by entering a name or using a familiar email address.
Start with your risk—not with a tool
The Electronic Frontier Foundation describes digital security as a planning process: what do you want to protect, from whom, how likely is the threat and what would the consequences be?
- Who may care that I visit or support this?
- What could happen if the visit or signature were linked to me?
- Is a public signature necessary, or is anonymous participation enough?
- Am I using a device, account or connection controlled by someone else?
- Would it be safer to wait or not participate?
The simplest path: share as little as possible
On Signup4Peace, accepting the declaration is the only required choice. Country, name and email are optional. If you want to minimise data sharing, leave all of them blank.
A country selection is used only in the aggregate count, and small country totals are not displayed before the safety threshold is reached. A name appears only when you actively choose public display. Email is never meant to be published and should be stored only with consent.
Read the privacy information and method and limitations before deciding.
When Tor Browser may be relevant
Tor Browser routes web traffic through the Tor network so that a website normally sees a Tor connection rather than your real IP address. This can reduce tracking, but the Tor Project stresses that the tool cannot promise perfect anonymity.
- Download it from the official Tor Project.
- Do not install additional browser extensions.
- Check that you are using the correct HTTPS address.
- Do not provide a name or familiar email address if anonymity is the aim.
- Remember that some local network observers may be able to see that Tor is being used.
This is general information, not a personal security guarantee.
If you face a specific threat
If you are dealing with targeted surveillance, an account takeover, harassment or a digital attack, a general article is not enough. Activists, journalists, researchers and human rights defenders can check whether they qualify for the Access Now Digital Security Helpline.
Why this belongs in a peace project
My grandfather, Bjørn Egge, experienced what systematic oppression can do to an individual. Working with his story has made me especially conscious that peaceful participation must not only be open; it must take people's vulnerability seriously.
That does not mean the past and today's digital risks are the same. The connection is simpler: a project asking people to stand for peace must never treat their safety as an afterthought.
Signup4Peace should be a low-barrier declaration, not a membership register. A signature records participation; it does not prove what a population believes and does not guarantee political change. Read why the project exists and the Bjørn Egge story.