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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?

#121

Post by vanattab »

runnerup wrote: post #88
mathrawka wrote: post #27

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). These services also provide a mailbox that would work for anything you need. You can then get a business checking account (Mercury works well) with your newly registered business. You ca…

In many states if you want anonymity you ALSO have to pay a lawyer to be the principal agent in addition to the registered agent. Basically the lawyer is the CEO/“Owner” but since you pay them to do exactly as you say, they delegate everything back to you and just sign forms occasionally that you put in front of them.

I always wondered about these situations? What prevents the Lawyer from just taking off with company assets if they are the owner? If there are other contract terms limiting the lawyer and giving someone else control is the lawyer still "legally" the owner?

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

#122

Post by dev_tty01 »

wlindley wrote: post #55

As someone who grew up when they printed your address when your photo and name appeared in the paper, and when everyone had their name, telephone, and address in the telephone book -- this seems bizarre. Are you never planning to appear at a trade show and promote your product? Hiding who you are seems cowardly, or maybe you have nefarious motives with your program. Transparency and honesty are the best policies in b…

My daughter has a web presence in the music domain. There are a couple photos of her playing the piano or doing something else in a professional capacity as an artist, but her personal details are carefully kept private. If you could just see a sampling of the absolute crap that is sent to her business contact points, you would not wonder why people want to maintain privacy.

Just as an aside, if you see a person on the internet, it is incredibly rude and infantile to comment on their physical appearance, unless those comments are specifically solicited. Comment on their profession, hobby, art, or whatever else the business or site is about, but nobody gives a crap about your opinion on their looks, their clothes, their eyes, etc... Grow up and keep your teenage fantasies to yourself.

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

#124

Post by tossl568 »

formerkrogemp wrote: post #83
tossl568 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

> How about you just shut the fuck up and we'll keep saving in Bitcoin and you can keep your infinitely inflating dollars. bitcoin is losing value. It's really not a hedge against inflation as you propose. As more people need what little money they have leftover from losing it in bitcoin, they'll pull the remaining fraction of their savings out and reduce the price of bitcoin. The price is just barely above $20,000 n…

It's been a hedge against inflation for me for nine years thanks. I'm not pulling a cent out. Those people are selling a scarce asset to me, and thousands like me, and they can only sell to us once. Most miners are running on stranded, excess renewable energy that can't be used for anything else. A ponzi scheme implies an exit. We're never swapping back to dollars that can be printed out of thin air.

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

#125

Post by random-human »

Assuming you are in the US, and depending on your state laws, you can go to your County Clerks office and file an Assumed Name for Unincorporated Business (DBA). That is enough to open a business bank account and use that name for the Apple Developer program. It also won't have all your information plastered all over the place like LLCs/Corps (from personal experience with both)

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

#126

Post by Dracophoenix »

pc86 wrote: post #109
Dracophoenix wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

This should still be fine, especially for LLCs which presumably exist at least conceptually in order to make money. The government has a well-defined, broadly accepted (outside the fringes) interest in knowing who is doing commerce and making money. Making money completely anonymously, without reporting this to the IRS and state tax authorities, at least in the US as a US citizen, is and should be illegal. But still…

> Making money completely anonymously, without reporting this to the IRS and state tax authorities, at least in the US as a US citizen, is and should be illegal. But still seems pretty straightforward to stay anonymous on the front end.

All for-profit companies doing business in the United States have always been required to report to the IRS and state tax authorities. There's never been a way to make money anonymously short of simply not filing with IRS (definitely illegal). This new law doesn't change or improve upon that in any way.

Prior to the bill being passed, one could set up a shell company in Nevada without giving away one's name. With the passage of this bill, one's ownership in an LLC is kept in a registry by a government agency for the sole purpose of surveillance. There's only as much "privacy" from the general public as there is the likelihood that the Treasury's servers are secure. And there's absolutely none from the members of the US government.

There are purposefully installed concessions that were requested by certain entrenched interest groups. For example, a company employing at least 12 people won't have to report anything. And the fact that the bill was a rider on a veto-proof legislation shows the substance of it wasn't quite popular enough to devote a legislative session towards the issue. It's little more than a privacy buster under the guise of an anti-corruption bill.

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

#127

Post by dijonman2 »

adbachman wrote: post #108
dijonman2 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Excellent suggestion, but how do you find an existing LLC that won’t fuck you?

Go looking. What have you tried that didn't work?

Partnered with the wrong person and lost money/time.

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

#129

Post by wombatpm »

vanattab wrote: post #121
runnerup wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In many states if you want anonymity you ALSO have to pay a lawyer to be the principal agent in addition to the registered agent. Basically the lawyer is the CEO/“Owner” but since you pay them to do exactly as you say, they delegate everything back to you and just sign forms occasionally that you put in front of them.

I always wondered about these situations? What prevents the Lawyer from just taking off with company assets if they are the owner? If there are other contract terms limiting the lawyer and giving someone else control is the lawyer still "legally" the owner?

Bad lawyers can and do. They also end up in jail.
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