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Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

sive.rs

121–130 of 329 posts

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#121
post #19

Ah yes... I'm Skimmington Harborough, Esq., I come from a family that made its fortune in philanthropy generations ago. This seems like a pretty straightforward mechanism for covert operatives, to generate a believable (and memorizable) cover that pulls attention away and maintains coherence. That said, as someone who prizes ethical behavior, it's not possible to practice this and remain wholly honest without some so…

Is lying in-of-itself unethical?

I'd be curious to probe a framework that thinks it is, while not holding that axiomatically. As someone who leans heavily into consequentialism, I can think of plenty of times lying can lead to a net positive for everyone. Likewise, there are harmful truths that should be suppressed.

That suggests to me that lying is, in-of-itself, amoral. The effect of the lie (or the intent, if you swing that way) determines whether it's ethical or not. Who is harmed by your assuming a fabricated identity? For the vast majority of people, who exactly you are matter little. So it's hard to suggest they are harmed by having an incorrect model of you. It may be manipulative to those trying to piece together your identity, but being doxxed can and often does lead to harm befalling your person, so your lies against them can be plainly justified under self-defense.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#122
post #19

Ah yes... I'm Skimmington Harborough, Esq., I come from a family that made its fortune in philanthropy generations ago. This seems like a pretty straightforward mechanism for covert operatives, to generate a believable (and memorizable) cover that pulls attention away and maintains coherence. That said, as someone who prizes ethical behavior, it's not possible to practice this and remain wholly honest without some so…

Is lying in-of-itself unethical? I'd be curious to probe a framework that thinks it is, while not holding that axiomatically. As someone who leans heavily into consequentialism, I can think of plenty of times lying can lead to a net positive for everyone. Likewise, there are harmful truths that should be suppressed. That suggests to me that lying is, in-of-itself, amoral. The effect of the lie (or the intent, if you…

You seem pretty confident in a subjective opinion.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#123
post #19

Ah yes... I'm Skimmington Harborough, Esq., I come from a family that made its fortune in philanthropy generations ago. This seems like a pretty straightforward mechanism for covert operatives, to generate a believable (and memorizable) cover that pulls attention away and maintains coherence. That said, as someone who prizes ethical behavior, it's not possible to practice this and remain wholly honest without some so…

> This seems like a pretty straightforward mechanism for covert operatives, to generate a believable (and memorizable) cover

I think the official term is "legend" for this one. This occasionally comes up in spy movies and I also get some search results for it.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#124
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That said, as someone who prizes ethical behavior, it's not possible to practice this and remain wholly honest without some sort of ethical loophole The primary "ethical loophole" here is that there is no viable ethical alternative. Something can not be immoral if it is the best of a series of bad options, and if you want to exsist in the world and protect your privacy, the only real option is to create a persona.…

> The primary "ethical loophole" here is that there is no viable ethical alternative. Something can not be immoral if it is the best of a series of bad options, and if you want to exsist in the world and protect your privacy, the only real option is to create a persona. There are simple ethical alternatives, just not disclose that information, or just avoid that questions. Lying in this case is clearly unacceptable.…

I don't agree that your RL identity is a "minor" thing. It's right up among the most important things.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#125
post #117
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Banksy is way more famous than Satoshi and has remained pseudonymous

Banksy is purportedly Robin Cunningham. Google is the greatest OSINT tool ever created.

that's just one theory. everything i've read lists both del naja and gunningham as possibilities at the least, and often tosses a couple of other names into the mix.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is lying in-of-itself unethical? I'd be curious to probe a framework that thinks it is, while not holding that axiomatically. As someone who leans heavily into consequentialism, I can think of plenty of times lying can lead to a net positive for everyone. Likewise, there are harmful truths that should be suppressed. That suggests to me that lying is, in-of-itself, amoral. The effect of the lie (or the intent, if you…

You seem pretty confident in a subjective opinion.

We're having a normative discussion and we have our own beliefs. It's to be expected.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#127
post #100
post #19

Ah yes... I'm Skimmington Harborough, Esq., I come from a family that made its fortune in philanthropy generations ago. This seems like a pretty straightforward mechanism for covert operatives, to generate a believable (and memorizable) cover that pulls attention away and maintains coherence. That said, as someone who prizes ethical behavior, it's not possible to practice this and remain wholly honest without some so…

> That said, as someone who prizes ethical behavior, it's not possible to practice this and remain wholly honest without some sort of ethical loophole The primary "ethical loophole" here is that there is no viable ethical alternative. Something can not be immoral if it is the best of a series of bad options, and if you want to exsist in the world and protect your privacy, the only real option is to create a persona.…

You can definitely participate in political discourse under a pseudonym. The anonymous Twitter account "Catturd" is one currently famous example.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#128

I had an idea for a funny little startup once: “Adopt an alter ego” Essentially a marketplace where you can buy and sell prebuilt identities - complete with associated, aged, and populated social media accounts, email accounts, pictures, websites, etc. I just like the idea of being different people online.

The main roadblock here is the crime. You would need some safeguards to make sure these people aren't real enough to receive any government benefits, or open a bank account.
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