Easier to change your name.
How can someone go off-web and anonymize themselves after a life online?
31–40 of 60 posts
Re: How can someone go off-web and anonymize themselves after a life online?
#32Here is how to do it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation
> Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth. Disinformation should not be confused with misinformation, information that is unintentionally false.
> Unlike traditional propaganda techniques designed to engage emotional support, disinformation is designed to manipulate the audience at the rational level by either discrediting conflicting information or supporting false conclusions. A common disinformation tactic is to mix some truth and observation with false conclusions and lies, or to reveal part of the truth while presenting it as the whole (a limited hangout).
> Another technique of concealing facts, or censorship, is also used if the group can affect such control. When channels of information cannot be completely closed, they can be rendered useless by filling them with disinformation, effectively lowering their signal-to-noise ratio and discrediting the opposition by association with many easily disproved false claims.
Re: How can someone go off-web and anonymize themselves after a life online?
#33You can't erase what you've already done online. Moving forward, you could live like a person from 1950. No mobile phone, no internet, pay cash for stuff. That's about as close to anonymous as you can get, if it's worth the pain.
Re: How can someone go off-web and anonymize themselves after a life online?
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's impossible not to over-simplify without writing a 10,000 word essay on the topic. I'm not advocating disappearing altogether. There's nothing wrong with keeping in touch with my friends on facebook, sharing the odd picture. I do disagree that it feels good to use my real name. I wish I'd been more careful peppering my various accounts with references to my real name. I'd really love to be able to press a button…
In my opinion, user24, I like being publicly linked to everything I say or do online. It means that the "me" that exists online is in perfect harmony with the "me" that exists in the physical world. Anything I do online has repercussions for my offline life, and vice versa. It makes me more connected with the world.
In theory this sounds great, and I try to live by that principle now, but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable having all my instances of viewing adult material, for instance, in my past attached to my public image.
Re: How can someone go off-web and anonymize themselves after a life online?
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my opinion, user24, I like being publicly linked to everything I say or do online. It means that the "me" that exists online is in perfect harmony with the "me" that exists in the physical world. Anything I do online has repercussions for my offline life, and vice versa. It makes me more connected with the world.
You don't fear that one day you might be denied entry to the UK for this tweet? https://twitter.com/bovermyer/status/398163555742396416
Nope. I'm pretty content to speak my mind and let others figure out whether what I'm saying chimes with their values or not.
Re: How can someone go off-web and anonymize themselves after a life online?
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are oversimplifying. The thing is that it's good to be part of a community. Feels good to use your real name and it's only natural. Facebook is an awesome service to find old friends, find new friends with the same interests, exchange visual info (sharing your baby's picture with your family) etc. Being able to sync devices across is awesome. But try that outside Google/Apple and you're against a wall. Of course…
It's impossible not to over-simplify without writing a 10,000 word essay on the topic. I'm not advocating disappearing altogether. There's nothing wrong with keeping in touch with my friends on facebook, sharing the odd picture. I do disagree that it feels good to use my real name. I wish I'd been more careful peppering my various accounts with references to my real name. I'd really love to be able to press a button…
I really understand your feeling.
I personally felt like the Internet gave us the power of managing several identities, having personas tied to some communities, making it simple to meet new people and yet (sort of) protect our privacy.
Now, I feel like the game has changed and if you want to enjoy anything online, more and more, you'll have to allow access to your life to everyone you ever interact with, unless you spend a lot of time tweaking privacy settings everywhere and live almost like a criminal on the run.
Re: How can someone go off-web and anonymize themselves after a life online?
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my opinion, user24, I like being publicly linked to everything I say or do online. It means that the "me" that exists online is in perfect harmony with the "me" that exists in the physical world. Anything I do online has repercussions for my offline life, and vice versa. It makes me more connected with the world.
In theory this sounds great, and I try to live by that principle now, but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable having all my instances of viewing adult material, for instance, in my past attached to my public image.
There are some exceptions, to be sure - for example, I don't share (offline or online) when I'm on the toilet, or what the results were.
But in general, if I have an opinion about something, I'm going to publicly and proudly state it - even if I later have to recant. I'd rather admit publicly that I was wrong than hide my views.
Re: How can someone go off-web and anonymize themselves after a life online?
#38I've being trying to make this a HN hit for a long time now, and I will try again as it is related to the topic. The "name-your-price" web comic The Private Eye: http://panelsyndicate.com/ is a great story on a future world where online anonymity became impossible, then people went for real world anonymity, all of us wearing masks and pseudonyms. It is really interesting and entertaining to follow. I have no connecti…
I'm guessing it's because the only thing I see when I follow that link is the long list of "buy now" buttons. No teaser for the comic, nothing to let me gauge the comics worth... just a poorly designed webpage that only seems to want to part me and my money.
I closed the website after about 3 seconds, and wouldn't even have commented except for your seemingly genuine puzzlement at why someone wouldn't want to read it.
Re: How can someone go off-web and anonymize themselves after a life online?
#39I've being trying to make this a HN hit for a long time now, and I will try again as it is related to the topic. The "name-your-price" web comic The Private Eye: http://panelsyndicate.com/ is a great story on a future world where online anonymity became impossible, then people went for real world anonymity, all of us wearing masks and pseudonyms. It is really interesting and entertaining to follow. I have no connecti…
Tangential, but one frustration with the "name your price" model (depending on how it's presented) is that I have to pay up-front, without knowing what the value (ie, equality) is.
I'll feel obnoxious if I pay $1, but on the other hand, I don't know if it's worth $5. Or, maybe it's phenomenal, in which case I'd be happy to pay $20 for it.
That said, this looks interesting; I've bookmarked it for later, and will probably end up paying for it at some reasonable price.
Re: How can someone go off-web and anonymize themselves after a life online?
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
You don't fear that one day you might be denied entry to the UK for this tweet? https://twitter.com/bovermyer/status/398163555742396416
Nope. I'm pretty content to speak my mind and let others figure out whether what I'm saying chimes with their values or not.
That's very brave of you, and I respect that, and only hope that you never live to regret it.
I perhaps have slightly more fringe interests than you, and in the past have been somewhat indiscreet, albeit on obscure forums.