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Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

sive.rs

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Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#201

Post by O__________O »

eastof wrote: post #183
O__________O wrote: post #16

As a counter example, I have been largely anonymous online and offline for awhile; yes, aware it is nearly impossible to be completely anonymous, that’s fine, largely a “hobby” for me. Very direct about it, and yes, some people completely shut you out once you tell them, but vast majority don’t; while my opinion, those who do aren’t people I am interested in knowing. Very similar prior to me being largely anonymous,…

I'm really curious about the offline piece. If you're at a conference or bar and someone asks your name, what do you say?

While little odd, it’s honestly my position that I don’t have a name; happy to explain, but that’s my position. If people are dead set on having a name to call me, just suggest they pick a name and that’s name we use; for example, today guy I have known a few weeks decided I was a “Bob” and we joked about it.

It clearly limits options I have, for example, I don’t drive, but for whatever reason it’s hobby I enjoy, one of the few I have kept up with. One of reason currently I continue to remain anonymous is it is an easy way to engage people on a topic that I sincerely believe is important, that being the right to privacy.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#202

Post by qbrass »

drcongo wrote: post #62

I have an alter-ego that I release music as. I like that nobody knows who that is, but weirdly I think my alter-ego is a much more likeable character than me.

I share the same name as a semi-famous, semi-local musician.

That made for a couple interesting phone calls over the years.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#203

Post by Andrew_nenakhov »

zem wrote: post #65
rlt wrote: post #31

Satoshi is the only very high profile person I’m aware of to remain completely (pseud)onymous. Many others have tried and failed (though they often broke the law, so that might be the main distinguishing factor)

Banksy is way more famous than Satoshi and has remained pseudonymous

Anyone who has access to to passenger rosters of flights going in and out of Britain can figure out who he is pretty easily.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#204

Post by kerpotgh »

chaboud wrote: 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…

There is no ethical issue here. The companies asking for your identity generally don’t need it and providing them with a persona could be argued is the more ethical route given the implications it has on privacy and mass surveillance.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#205

Post by O__________O »

boring_twenties wrote: post #178
Kiro wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In what situations do people you don't know ask you what you do where they actually care what you respond? And why not just say that you don't want to say? Among the online friends I have anonymity is the norm.

In 99.9% of offline social situations, "what do you do" will be one of the first few questions asked. How much they actually care is an open question, but it is always more than zero in the very practical sense that if you refuse to respond the conversation will either end or shift to some combination of pressing for the answer and/or making fun of you. On the other hand, I used to be in the habit of responding with…

Yes, agree, your response reflects my experiences.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#206

Post by ghaff »

onetimeusename wrote: post #120
ghaff wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It all depends on your threat model at the end of the day. I could create a blog and social media accounts in a few hours and, unless I do something stupid, it's going to be pretty hard for Joe Random on the Internet to figure out who I am. But if I start writing things that catch the attention of the FBI? They'll figure things out quick enough.

I am assuming you are talking about Tor. This is a sophisticated view of things and it's correct. Tor provides as good security and anonymity as a public VPN. But Onion Routers and therefore Tor were built with the intention of protecting against powerful adversaries that can perform MITM attacks. You could argue that the FBI is an even more powerful adversary I suppose but I think there is a mismatch in what Tor was…

Really more generally. If I create a blog on Blogger and a Twitter account--sure my identity is very discoverable by law enforcement, etc. But Joe Random isn't going to find it especially easily.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#207

Post by spiderice »

O__________O wrote: post #201
eastof wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm really curious about the offline piece. If you're at a conference or bar and someone asks your name, what do you say?

While little odd, it’s honestly my position that I don’t have a name; happy to explain, but that’s my position. If people are dead set on having a name to call me, just suggest they pick a name and that’s name we use; for example, today guy I have known a few weeks decided I was a “Bob” and we joked about it. It clearly limits options I have, for example, I don’t drive, but for whatever reason it’s hobby I enjoy, one…

Unfortunately "the guy who claims he doesn't have a name" is WAY more identifying than just giving a generic name. Doesn't sound to me like you're anonymous at all. This makes me think of the Nate Bargatze bit about the guy with two thumbs on one hand: https://youtu.be/Hd31dbJvGaU

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#208

Post by minsc_and_boo »

SyrupThinker wrote: post #112
minsc_and_boo wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fact that you take any action to obfuscate your identity only makes you stand out more from the herd, not blend in. It's like wearing a ski mask in a store. Your profile(s) are more noticeable even if you're not immediately identifiable.

Maybe to some actor that has sufficient data to correlate identities. But if I introduce myself to someone with an alias or claim false traits, they will not immediately just know it’s fake unless they have additional contradicting information. Most people do not casually wear ski masks, but they tend to not lie when asked for a name.

We're talking about fingerprinting here. Even a person wearing a ski mask could give a name, they still stand out because they have a ski mask on.

Deviations from the norm make you stand out, even if it's lying.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#209

Post by kerkeslager »

Waterluvian wrote: post #83

> If you defiantly refuse to say who you are, it can make people angry that you’re upsetting social reciprocity. Citation needed. This entire post/idea seems to be based on "you can't just make up an obviously anonymous avatar/username anymore (like BakedPotato138)" and I frankly don't see why not. It's been working fine for decades. The only people who are upset over this are authorities and corporations. And in tho…

> > If you defiantly refuse to say who you are, it can make people angry that you’re upsetting social reciprocity.

> Citation needed.

Look around. In this thread there are people who are upset.

> This entire post/idea seems to be based on "you can't just make up an obviously anonymous avatar/username anymore (like BakedPotato138)" and I frankly don't see why not. It's been working fine for decades.

I have had a few obviously anonymous avatars/usernames over the years (this isn't one of them--it's actually my real last name). There have been a few attempts to doxx me during that time.

> The only people who are upset over this are authorities and corporations.

Authorities and corporations aren't people (which is important because people have rights). But that's an aside really.

The bigger point is that authorities and corporations are made up of people, and those people, are often acting on behalf of their authority/corporation. In the worst case, they're true believers that what their authority/corporation is doing is right (i.e., all the people who defend invasions of privacy by corporations on hacker news).

> And in those cases, making up a fake person is quite possibly criminal fraud.

Not always. For example, with Facebook's shadow profiles, they won't even admit they exist most of the time, so they certainly aren't going to prove they exist by attempting to prosecute someone who feeds them fake data.

Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery

#210

Post by mynameisvlad »

pessimizer wrote: post #200
mynameisvlad wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That entirely depends on who you’re interacting with and the context of that interaction. Your best friend? I would hope you feel comfortable enough sharing your RL identity or deeper secrets. A random company you interact with? Why would it matter, let alone be one of the most important things?

The fact that the first person you mention is "your best friend" is an indication of the importance you're placing on it. Nobody is using a nom de plume for their electric bill, you're being deliberately obtuse.

I mentioned two extremes.

A best friend, by definition, is one of the people you choose to trust the most. If you want to replace it with someone else significant in your life, by all means, it doesn’t change the point in any way shape or form.

A random company is the other end of the extreme, it’s an example of a very limited relationship.

The point is that the bigger your relationship, the more you’d entrust them with secrets. Secrets like your real identity. It’s a pretty basic and obvious concept.

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