!!! info "Definitions" Members of the open source investigation community, led by UC Berkeley's Human Rights Center, are attempting to standardize vocabulary for virtual identities and its components. The Human Rights Center uses the following definitions:
Virtual identity: A false online identity that is used to conduct secure online activities for intelligence and investigation purposes on social media platforms and other websites that require users to log in to access content.
Virtual account: A private account on an email or messaging service, database, application, or website that uses one’s false online identity rather than one’s real life identity.
Virtual profile: A public-facing profile on a specific social media platform or website that uses one’s false online identity rather than one’s real life identity.