Do you really have to go to the extremes this guide says? [duplicate]

Question

http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-stay-anonymous-with-tor-1498876762

Alright, so here's a lifehacker guide on how to remain anonymous. Do you really have to go to this high level of extreme to remain anonymous? For example, is it really not safe to use a VM of Linux on Windows? Do you really have to go to thirty eight different cafes? It would make sense if one had to go to like ten or twelve.

Also, is it really realistic to follow all of this? Someone in the replies of this lifehacker article said that this would be great extremes for "North Korea." Does anyone here agree with him?

Answer 1

Anonymity isn't binary. There is a sliding scale of anonymity on the web.

How much you need to do depends on who is trying to deanonymize you, what resources they have and how much of those resources they are willing to spend on you.

Depending on whether you are considered an advertising target, a nuisance to a specific website, a copyright violator, an actual criminal or a threat to the national security of a state, you need to go to different measures to hide your identity.

That guide seems to be intended for people whose freedom and life depends on their anonymity, like whistle blowers or revolutionaries. When you just don't want Google to know what you buy on Amazon, it's overkill.

By the way, the article says so:

Consider whether you truly need this level of protection. If having your activity discovered does not put your life or liberty at risk, then you probably do not need to go to all of this trouble.