Why Do People Lie More Online Than in Person? The Data
Six data points on digital honesty, and a catch: the least honest medium in the numbers below isn't an app at allSix data points on digital honesty, and a catch: the least honest medium in the numbers below isn't an app at all
The Digital Honesty Dataset & Dashboard, DT Linux
The Digital Honesty Dataset & Dashboard
An interactive companion to DT Linux's briefing on where people actually lie more, comparing six sourced data points: phone calls and email, anonymous online comments, online dating profiles, resumes and LinkedIn, social media, and romance scams.
Filter by case
This report's three mechanism tiers
How each case compares
What's in this dataset, by mechanism
This report's six cases, by tier
A composition of this report's own six cases, not a further statistical claim: two turn on the communication channel itself, three turn on curated self-presentation, and one turns on deliberate fabrication for financial gain. Used here because it is a genuine part-to-whole split; the rate comparisons above stay bar charts because they compare independent figures, not shares of one total.
Dataset schema
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| case_name | The channel, platform, or scenario this row describes | "Anonymous online comments" |
| tier | This report's own mechanism categorization, not a severity ranking | "The channel effect" |
| key_metric | The headline sourced figure for this case | "30.7%" |
| source | Citation for the key metric | "Journal Information, 2021 content analysis" |
| last_verified | Date the figure was last checked against its original source | "2026-09-02" |
About this dataset
How this data was collected
Every figure behind this dataset was pulled from a named, checkable source: peer-reviewed communication research, a published content-analysis study, US Federal Trade Commission fraud statistics, and large-sample commercial surveys. DT Linux's research process cross-references each figure against its original publication before use; this report does not involve DT Linux collecting or mining any of the underlying behavioral data itself.
Data handling and compliance
Built entirely from publicly published research, government statistics, and licensed survey data, never from personal data on identifiable individuals collected by DT Linux. Full practices in our privacy policy.
API and pipeline access
Want a dataset like this refreshed on a schedule, or piped into your own systems? DT Linux builds custom data pipelines and integration work per client; there is no self-serve API today, so delivery is handled directly by our team. Get in touch.
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