4 ms·
My real name doesn't uniquely identify me, because there are more people in the world with the same name. According to some web searching, I have already died a
by janwillemb 10y ago
My real name doesn't uniquely identify me, because there are more people in the world with the same name. According to some web searching, I have already died a long time ago, I am a technical illustrator, I collect model trains, etc. So a "real name" could be compromising even if totally unjust
- draugadrotten 10y agoI am in the opposite situation. My real name is so rare that it uniquely identifies me globally, as far as I know. I have angered a religious group which is known for intimidation and even physical threats to critics. This makes me very uncomfortable in using sites that demands "real names". I would never sign up for Facebook, for example.
- Chris2048 10y agoMy girlfriend has a name so unique that I put it into google images along with my town name (a capital city), and her picture shows up...
- CM30 10y agoThis is a very good point. Using real names doesn't 'reduce anonymity'. It 'reduces anonymity' for people with rare names and leaves those with common names nearly as anonymous as before.
- TheCoelacanth 10y agoA person's name is one of the strongest identifying factors there is. Even for people with common names, combining their name with other easily deduced information about them could easily lead to a unique identification. For instance, if you looked through my HN or reddit comments, you could easily figure out roughly what area I live in, my occupation, my approximate age and many other pieces of information that would link back to my real identity. That information combined with my real name would uniquely identify me even if I had an extremely common name.