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Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

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201–210 of 307 posts

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#201

Post by abelardx »

No, I do not and never will. If other people want to, fine, but privacy concerns are entirely reasonable.

Comments posted to the internet are permanent like nothing else in history. It's like having your casual conversations recorded and then stored in an indestructible format accessible to anyone who cares to look for it, forever. Of all the thousands of strangers who see your posts, whether individuals, corporations, or governments, some are actively looking to exploit you. Please be aware of the increased vulnerability when you're in a vastly more public setting. You don't owe the world unfettered access. Boundaries and levels of access are a good thing.

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#202

Post by quackerhacker »

MichaelGG wrote: post #200
quackerhacker wrote: post #86

Even though I use my handle "quackerhacker," the secret service already knows my identity, so in the words of Mark Zuckerburg "privacy is dead." -at least mine is This is me on Wired.com: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/05/man-allegedly-b/

That's awesome. It amazes me that there was no check for the same IP/account number combination over and over. The FBI site says: "he would transfer the funds into his own bank accounts or onto prepaid debit cards, without the authorization or knowledge of his victims" How the hell was that allowed as a valid argument? Of course you can transfer money out of an account - they sent it there. Did they have any sort of…

I was actually 19 when I did that (wired got my age wrong), simply stated...I was an idiot. The money was free and what really got me in trouble was the fake info. To be clear, the money I received was intended to go to the characters I put in the fake info (not me). The ONE thing that I'm thankful for is that I can still use computers and even get employed in the field.

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#203

Post by kijin »

I use my real identity (or close enough so that people can easily guess) on IT websites like Github, HN, Stack Exchange, and a few other IT-related forums. After all, unless I say anything terribly stupid, it's all going to be part of my resume one day. I'm sure many of you would want to hire a techie with a decent track record on those sites if other things were equal.

On non-IT websites, I use completely unrelated identities. For example, there's no reason for random redditors to know who I am. Even though there's probably enough data out there to associate specific reddit accounts with me, it's none of the business of random redditors and there's no need to pique their curiosity. Actually that's a fine principle: if it's none of their business to know who I am, it's none of my business to tell them who I am.

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#204

Post by rusbra »

simonsarris wrote: post #70

Yes, and for almost[1] all other things on the internet for that matter. "We should try to be happy, if only to set an example." -Jacques Prévert I try to be as open and plainly honest as possible, and I think using my real name keeps me from being inflammatory, and I think it also keeps other from doing the same to me (at least a little). Put another way, I think using real names makes an atmosphere of more empathy…

This is Golden... I'll start living by this approach

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#206

Post by voltagex_ »

bigiain wrote: post #105
bobsy wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My opinions change regularly, I am sometimes enlightened, I sometimes have a change of heart. I don't post with my actual identity because of this. I don't want a situation where someone stumbles onto an old post or where I played devil's advocate and I lose out as a result.

I kinda miss the old days of usenet, where I'd often post sarcasm or devil's advocate type comments with an x-planation: Yes, this is sarcasm type header. Web forums generally don't have a way to attach metadata like that in a way that's not _normally_ seen, but is easily discoverable or demonstratable on a per-post basis. The "Ha ha! I was only joking" defense is much more credible if you explicitly (but initially i…

I never knew that! I wonder if Google/Deja kept the headers.

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#208

Post by spiffytech »

loup-vaillant wrote: post #155
simonsarris wrote: post #70

Yes, and for almost[1] all other things on the internet for that matter. "We should try to be happy, if only to set an example." -Jacques Prévert I try to be as open and plainly honest as possible, and I think using my real name keeps me from being inflammatory, and I think it also keeps other from doing the same to me (at least a little). Put another way, I think using real names makes an atmosphere of more empathy…

An alternative could be to stick to a given nickname in related communities. HN, r/programming, and one's tech blog could form such a cluster. Sure, it's not your "real" name, but it will get a reputation regardless. Pseudonym or real name, people will shun you if you displease them too much. Simply remembering that may be just as effective as keeping one nice. To make that even more effective, one could even make a…

I have been doing this for many years now. I am "spiffytech" everywhere on the Internet, and that identity has extended to my physical relationships. In my college LUG, everyone knew me pretty much exclusively by my handle. This topic once came up there. I asked a friend who I'd known for four years if he actually knew my real name, and he had to stop and think for several minutes before he could respond with my name. Another friend I'd known for about as long said the only reason he knew my name at all was because it's in the "From" line in my emails.

Despite the fact that I never operate online under my given name, the fact that my username is tightly tied to my identity and reputation prevents me from employing it as a shield of anonymity to hide behind while I lob uncivil or disrespectful remarks at other Netizens. I don't generally feel tempted to do anyway, but I can't say how much of that is due to my consistent use of my username.

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#210

Post by popeye »

newnewnew wrote: post #143

No. I live in a very liberal area and I disagree with the liberal worldview on several significant points. In my experience, people have become more harsh towards opposing viewpoints. I've seen enough witch hunts on non-liberals to know I don't want to be the subject of one.

It's not just liberals--I'm a liberal--and this goes both ways. But you're right. Any opinion on a controversial topic can and will see you targeted by malicious fanatics opposed to your opinions.

The Pollyanna types who disapprove of others using pseudonyms are generally either a) very boring people b) naive c) have some kind of stake in being able to out people e.g. Zuckerberg who makes tons of money off lack of privacy, so he argues in his book that anonymity is wrong. Of course you would, Zuck, it's your fucking bank account.

The fact of matter is that if you have an opinion, and you express it well, it's just a matter of time before someone on the opposing side tries to dox you and hurt you. This includes everything from straightforward harassment at multiple venues, to people trying to get you fired, to people shaming you online.

It's very very easy to slander people online and cause distress or hardship. Look at the trouble Wikipedia has had with malicious, fake biographies.

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