Meaning of on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog | Babel Free

Definitions

It is easy to conceal someone's identity on the Internet.

humorous

Examples

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.””

“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?”

“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.”

“[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.”

“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.”

“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.)”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.””

““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.””

CEFR level