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Ask HN: Is it still conceivable to remain an anonymous developer nowadays?

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Re: Ask HN: Is it still conceivable to remain an anonymous developer nowadays?

#91

Post by ghaff »

floor_ wrote: post #86

If writers can write under a pseudonym why can't coders?

Writers can write under a pseudonym. But someone whether a publisher or their PoD service like Amazon know their real name/their company name so they can be mailed a check if nothing else.

It all comes down to what you mean by anonymous/pseudonymous. Do you mean that a determined investigator/the government couldn't track you down? Or do you mean that a casual user doesn't know your real name? The latter is pretty easy. The former is almost certainly quite a bit harder (and more expensive) depending on jurisdiction--and may not even be possible if the government in particular is serious enough.

Re: Ask HN: Is it still conceivable to remain an anonymous developer nowadays?

#93

Post by Dracophoenix »

mathrawka wrote: post #80
Dracophoenix wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you prefer to use a pseudonym, why not just register an LLC? There are services out there that will register your company and be your registered agent in states that do not require your name ever made public (Wyoming for example). Congress passed a bill with rider a that now makes the creation of anonymous LLCs difficult. https://thehill.com/policy/finance/467017-house-passes-bill-... https://maloney.house.gov/m…

That looks like it requires disclosure of the owners to the US government, not on the public record. If I'm misunderstanding the documents you linked, please let me know.

You're correct. However, anything that can be disclosed to the US government can always be disclosed to the public, whether by law or by leak[1]. I did say the law makes establishing anonymous LLCs difficult. I didn't say establishing them was impossible.

[1] https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trov...

Re: Ask HN: Is it still conceivable to remain an anonymous developer nowadays?

#94

Post by ghaff »

imjonse wrote: post #8

You can easily be an anonymous open source developer at least.

Anonymity is a lot easier in general if money isn't involved because you don't need any connection to a bank or a taxing agency. (Yes, there's crypto blah blah as an option but that's not very practical for just collecting income.) There are still ways to track you down but assuming reasonable operational security you can be pretty safe from casual and even not so casual attempts to find out who you are.

Re: Ask HN: Is it still conceivable to remain an anonymous developer nowadays?

#95

Post by ghaff »

krageon wrote: post #26
treyfitty wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Legitimate question: what benefits are there to be anonymous to the general public? Wouldn’t most people be happy to take credit for their code?

Lots of people are horrible and when you are well-known, this translates into legions of horrible people who know who you are and see you as something to maybe bother. Anonymity should be the first choice for public-facing work, if you enjoy your life as it is and are not interested in hiring security.

Enough with the drama. The vast majority of people with public facing work (whether code, books, etc.) use their real names and don't need to hire security. That's not to say stuff doesn't sometimes happen but it's not the norm.

Re: Ask HN: Is it still conceivable to remain an anonymous developer nowadays?

#96

Post by tatertots1234 »

viraptor wrote: post #79
tatertots1234 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can we just stop with the "Bitcoin is anonymous" bullshit here? Care to point to Satoshi’s real identity since anonymity in Bitcoin is bullshit?

They didn't use any modern services - we mainly know of an old, idle account. If they were actually active today and we knew which transactions to look at, there would be some trail to follow. So, that isn't a counterexample you're after.

All of their transactions are visible in the ledger, not hard to find. The same tools they used still exist today, except with additional privacy enhancements like some chains using zk-SNARKs.

The only weak points are exchanges. The OP can decide how anonymous they want to be - complete anonymity would imply not exchanging to fiat at all.

Re: Ask HN: Is it still conceivable to remain an anonymous developer nowadays?

#97

Post by jdthedisciple »

New_California wrote: post #34

Yes, it is absolutely conceivable to be anon developer, except for officially publishing in the Apple/Google/MS walled gardens. Then if you would want to accept donations or payments, anonymity is only possible with cryptocurrencies and cash-by-mail. The easiest one (anonymity wise) is Monero and the most popular one is Bitcoin.

Can't you (semi-) anonymously receive money via Paypal?

Re: Ask HN: Is it still conceivable to remain an anonymous developer nowadays?

#98

Post by VoidWhisperer »

jdthedisciple wrote: post #97
New_California wrote: post #34

Yes, it is absolutely conceivable to be anon developer, except for officially publishing in the Apple/Google/MS walled gardens. Then if you would want to accept donations or payments, anonymity is only possible with cryptocurrencies and cash-by-mail. The easiest one (anonymity wise) is Monero and the most popular one is Bitcoin.

Can't you (semi-) anonymously receive money via Paypal?

I could be wrong but I seem to remember paypal will require KYC at some point past a certain amount of money coming into the account (?)

Re: Ask HN: Is it still conceivable to remain an anonymous developer nowadays?

#99

Post by [deleted] »

tatertots1234 wrote: post #73
bigiain wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> anonymity is only possible with cryptocurrencies and cash-by-mail. The easiest one (anonymity wise) is Monero and the most popular one is Bitcoin. Can we just stop with the "Bitcoin is anonymous" bullshit here? Anybody here is smart enough to know better, so it just earmarks you as another fucking crypto-shill.

> Can we just stop with the "Bitcoin is anonymous" bullshit here? Care to point to Satoshi’s real identity since anonymity in Bitcoin is bullshit?

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Is it still conceivable to remain an anonymous developer nowadays?

#100

Post by r12343a_19 »

bigiain wrote: post #30
justsomeguy123 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm also curious what this is. Apple wouldn't give free certificates even for open source apps! $99 to give their users free apps.

The free developer accounts don't get your apps into the iOS app store. That requires a paid up $99 developer account. I think (but am not sure) that you can use them (for now) to sign a macOS app that you distribute from your own download somewhere, and Mac uses can download your apps and click through the "Yes, I trust apps signed with that Satoshi Nakamoto certificate" dialog and install them.

You don't get even free macOS notarization without paying $99. Really, could I get a link to where this mythical free account is and what it provides?
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