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)
Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery
31–40 of 329 posts
Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery
#32As 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,…
Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery
#33Anonymity is impossible, especially online. About the best one can do is to engage in clever obfuscation though there's a benefit to creating multiple personas for online activity: it makes it easier to keep your silos of interest separated. It's not for everyone but it can be handy.
I'm not convinced that a plausible pseudonym is more privacy preserving than something that's obviously just made up. But it's not bad advice in general to post personal stuff on social media and blogs under a pseudonym if you want to be controversial.
> I'm not convinced that a plausible pseudonym is more privacy preserving than something that's obviously just made up.
I think that's true, but vibe I got from this was more about wanting anonymity and to avoid certain social frictions (and maybe not incur a trust penalty). An obvious pseudonym comes with certain costs.
Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery
#34As 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,…
https://stylometry.net/user?username=O__________O
Yep, like I said, I have very healthy expectations of how to maintain anonymity. Fortunately GPT will largely fix the issue of statistical analysis of variations in writing style between one writer and another. Stylometry been around a long time, as with all security, you have to know you threat model, and adjust accordingly. To my knowledge stylometry never made me less anonymous.
Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery
#35I've noticed the number of places that let you use ephemeral accounts has really dwindled. Spam, marketing, LE, and I am sure other reasons have it so persistent accounts are more common. So creating a persona is probably the easiest way to be somewhat anonymous online but it's getting harder to create unlinked accounts (using new phone numbers and unlinked to your other accounts) and when it crosses into the real wo…
>when it crosses into the real world like with shipping products it gets weird. Your mailman might think a stranger is living with you.
Not really a problem. A friend of mine used my address (with permission) when they were doing a lot of international travel. Mail (and packages) were never an issue.
These days you'd probably be advised to have some sort of burner phone.
In general, the closer you get to the physical world, the harder it is to maintain anonymity.
Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery
#36The trouble is when you've been using your alternate persona, chatting with a stranger, and encounter someone who knows your real name that wants to say, "Hello." "Oh, uh, ... that's my middle name."
"Hush, that's my truename, and there may be witches about."
Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why would it be impossible online? You can pay anonnymously for Mullvad VPN, or use Tor, or open wifi. It's online that anonymity is even attainable.
What about signing in to apps which often uses a phone # and email? Also, betting on Tor is like betting there there are no 0-day exploits in browsers or Tor's network. Not a bet I would make.
You can set up a VOIP phone number that accepts SMS for about $2/mo + $0.01/minute.
Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery
#38Liked the write-up was a fun read.
But I really don't get the point of being anonymous on social media.
Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
What about signing in to apps which often uses a phone # and email? Also, betting on Tor is like betting there there are no 0-day exploits in browsers or Tor's network. Not a bet I would make.
You can set up a VOIP phone number that accepts SMS for about $2/mo + $0.01/minute.
yes, I am not saying it's impossible. This is what I do. It's just a nuisance and it took me a long time to find a VOIP provider I actually wanted to use. But that said, I've seen SMS verifiers reject VOIP provider networks.
Re: Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery
#40Maybe it's because I'm the kind of guy who took the "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog" comic to heart, but I don't assume truth about any type of online profile, and I usually don't go cyber stalking anyone just because their online handle sounds mysterious.
Picking a new identity might be a good branding decision (especially if you can get NewName dot com!), but I'm also the kind of guy who looks at the message, not the messenger, so whether I focus on what you're saying or not has nothing to do with the online persona you've created for yourself.