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The internet was anonymous only because it was obscure. The Man barely knew it existed, and couldn't be bothered to figure out how to track people. Just like o
by mikeash 9y ago
The internet was anonymous only because it was obscure. The Man barely knew it existed, and couldn't be bothered to figure out how to track people.
Just like other types of security, anonymity through obscurity is a bad idea and only works while your obscurity holds out.
Cryptocurrencies are going through the same transition. Initially they seemed anonymous because nobody with power cared about them. Now that's changing.
If you care about being anonymous, take steps to ensure that it works even if The Man starts looking.
- 52-6F-62 9y ago"The Man" is exactly who researched, designed, and developed the precursor to the internet. For a long time it was a closed ring of approved members that had access to it. Your real name was tied directly to your only account. The money for the internet (Or the much better name: "Intergalactic Computer Network") came out of the budget for a ballistic missile defence program. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET
- sah2ed 9y agoI'm sure you know The Man evolved the Internet from ARPANET so they clearly knew of its existence. Unless you meant to say that The Man didn't think much of tracking people on the Internet until it become economically viable when it reached critical mass. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_Internet https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_In...
- mikeash 9y agoHere, "The Man" refers to law enforcement, not the government in general.