on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog

See also: on the Internet nobody knows you're a dog

English

Alternative forms

• on the Internet nobody knows you're a dog

Etymology

From the caption of a 1993 cartoon by Peter Steiner.

Proverb

on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog

1. (humorous) It is easy to conceal one's identity on the Internet.
   • 1995, Bruce Garrison, quoting Rosalind Resnick, “Bulletin Board Systems as Reporting Tools”, in Computer-Assisted Reporting (LEA’s Communication Series), Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, →ISBN, section II (Online News and Information), page 115:

     It’s important to caution your readers, however, that they shouldn’t just pluck off an online message and pop it into their story. As they say, on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog! A good reporter should contact the person by phone before sticking an online quote in a story—it’s harder for people to lie (or invent a fictional identity) voice-to-voice than through e-mail.

   • 1996, Jeffry Dwight, Michael Erwin, “[Using MIME with CGI] Security Considerations with MIME”, in Using CGI (The Most Complete Reference), special edition, Indianapolis, Ind.: Que Corporation, →ISBN, part III (CGI Programming Examples), page 248:

     The Internet is a wild and woolly place. As the old saw goes, on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog. Or a hacker. Because you don’t always (or even usually) know who the person is behind that cool Web server you’ve accessed, you need to be very careful when defining new MIME types for your browser to accept.

   • 1997, Scott Knaster, Shannon King-Rouse, “[Java] What Is Java?”, in Macworld® Discover Internet Explorer 3, Foster City, Calif.: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., →ISBN, part 2 (Experiencing Multimedia and Active Sites), page 145:

     One of the coolest things about the Internet is the way it links together computers of all races and creeds. As the goofy old saying goes “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog,” or a Macintosh, or whatever. The Web is supposed to work pretty well no matter what kind of computer you have.

   • 1999, Nora Paul, Margot Williams, “Social Issues on the Web”, in Paula J. Hane, editor, Great Scouts! CyberGuides for Subject Searching on the Web, Medford, N.J.: CyberAge Books, Information Today, Inc., →ISBN, part I (Life & Times), page 113:

     Controversy fuels the Web and gets fed by its loud response. Results of studies and surveys may present the verifiable truth; one voice can claim its case based only on belief. And no seal of credibility will mark the difference. As the joke says, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.”

   • 2001 February, Lisa Nakamura, “Head hunting in cyberspace: Identity tourism, Asian avatars and racial passing on the Web”, in Linda Gardiner, editor, The Women’s Review of Books, volume XVIII, number 5, Wellesley, Mass.: Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, →DOI, →ISSN, →JSTOR, page 10, column 1:

     As the well-known quote goes, “on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” Is it accurate also to say that on the Internet, nobody can tell what race you are?

   • 2001 March 23, Julia L. Wilkinson, quoting Robert Seidman, “[An Awesome Tool; A New Way of Life] Benefits of USENET Bulletin Boards and the Internet Community”, in My Life at AOL, [Bloomington, Ind.]: 1stBooks, →ISBN, page 124:

     The Internet serves as an equalizer of sorts against common discriminations based on race, gender and age. You have to^[sic] the opportunity to assess someone based on what they are saying, not WHO is saying it. I think this can provide for some very worthwhile exchanges and allow people who might not do so otherwise, to come to know each other. The downside is that as they say, on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. You can lie or say whatever you want and hide behind anonymity.

   • 2002, Diana H. Laskaris, “Celebrity and Influence: Where we discuss how people we don’t know can tell us what to do”, in The Future of Fun: Evolving Entertainment and the Nature of Play, Greenwich, Conn.: Hugo James Publishing, →ISBN, page 179:

     [I]n many ways, the voices heard on the radio or the words written in a Usenet group or discussion list, while easily identifiable in the form presented, are difficult to translate into a “real-world” persona. Remember, on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.

   • 2007 August, Mark Edward Soper, “[Protecting Windows Vista] Using Windows CardSpace”, in Maximum PC Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Exposed: An Insider’s Guide to Supercharging Windows Vista, Indianapolis, Ind.: Que Publishing, →ISBN, part IV (Keeping Windows Vista Safe with Backup and Troubleshooting Tools), page 336:

     As the old joke goes, “on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” As a result, chat-room perverts and phishers are having a wonderful time fooling everyone else in cyberspace and making life difficult for us honest people.

   • 2010, Guy Hart-Davis, “[Secure Your Server] Getting and Installing an SSL Certificate”, in Mac® OS X System Administration (Network Pro Library), New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, →ISBN, part I (Plan and Create the Network), page 88:

     As the old joke goes, on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog. But because the SSL certificate is tied to its holder’s real-world identity, a client that connects to your server can check exactly what kind of dog your company is. (Well, your server, anyway.)

   • 2010, Susan Ko, Steve Rossen, “[Teaching Online: An Overview] New Connections with the Wider World”, in Teaching Online: A Practical Guide, 3rd edition, New York, N.Y., Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, →ISBN, part I (Getting Started), page 20:

     At the risk of sounding heretical, we will venture the proposition that meeting online is sometimes the ideal way to get to know a student or colleague. The by-now-old joke goes, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog,” and by the same token, nobody knows whether you’re under twenty-one or over sixty-five years old.

   • 2013 January 25, Marcia Clemmitt, “[Social Media Explosion] Online Anonymity Stirs Controversy: Do real-name-only policies stop abusive behavior or shut down difficult debates?”, in Thomas J. Billitteri, editor, CQ Researcher, volume 23, number 4, Thousand Oaks, Calif.: CQ Press, →ISSN, page 92, column 1:

     An old joke runs, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” And until several years into the 21st century, that was largely true, since many — if not most — people who participated in online discussion forums did so under pseudonyms.

   • 2014, Jim Dwyer, chapter 3, in More Awesome Than Money: Four Boys and Their Quest to Save the World from Facebook, New York, N.Y.: Viking, →ISBN, page 46:

     On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog. And more to the point, “nobody knows you’re 22,” [Paul] Graham had written. “All users care about is whether your site or software gives them what they want. They don’t care if the person behind it is a high school kid.”

   • 2014 September, Leigh Perry [pseudonym; Toni Leigh Perry Kelner], chapter 35, in The Skeleton Takes a Bow (A Family Skeleton Mystery; 2), New York, N.Y.: Berkley Prime Crime, →ISBN, page 218:

     “I don’t have a street address for them. Just the e-mail and Web site.” / “Yeah, and you know what they say. On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” / “Say that again.” / “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog. It means that—” / “I know what it means. It’s given me an idea.” / “We’re going to send Byron after them?” / That I just ignored. “Instead of hoping for them to approach me, I’m going to approach them.”