anon

Anon is a shorthand form of anonymous. In everyday online language, anon refers to a person whose identity is unknown or intentionally concealed. It is common on forums, imageboards, and chat rooms to label an unidentified poster as anon. The term can also be used as a rhetorical stand-in for any unnamed author or comment.

In online culture, anon can function as a persona adopted by users who prefer to participate without revealing real identities. The plural form "anons" sometimes denotes multiple anonymous posters or a broader anonymous audience. The usage is widespread across communities that value privacy or controversial discussion.

Anonymous is a loosely organized international activist collective associated with the anonymous persona. It originated in imageboard culture in the 2000s and is defined by a decentralized, leaderless structure. Participants adopt the Anonymous banner and often use the Guy Fawkes mask in public actions. The group has conducted online campaigns and protests focused on political, social, and censorship issues. Notable campaigns attributed to Anonymous include Project Chanology (2008) against Scientology and Operation Payback (2010) targeting anti-piracy entities. Activities have included information campaigns, website defacements, and distributed denial-of-service operations, with supporters viewing them as digital civil disobedience and critics as criminal activity.

Outside of online culture, anon appears in publishing as a shorthand for anonymous authorship, sometimes written as anon. or Anon. It can signal that the author or source is unknown.