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Anonymity is a many-faceted issue. I have various personas on the Internet, but the truth is that any serious research can probably link them together. Why do

Anonymity is a many-faceted issue. I have various personas on the Internet, but the truth is that any serious research can probably link them together. Why do most people want anonymity (or pseudonymity)? Most of us are not in any sort of actual danger. If someone links my identities together, nothing horrible is going to happen. At worst, my employer will get some nasty email by someone I offended with an uncareful remark, which would have no consequences beyond a confused question. Is it just a matter of comfort? Is it not wanting to have to be so careful what we say? Is it because we actually have different facets to our personalities, and want to give each of those facets expression? Anyway: My open source projects are linked to my real identity. That's not an aspect of my identity I have any reason to hide. I don't see why anyone should. Heck, if you're young, your contributions may be important to your career: "Look what I did, you should hire me!"

dakiol 3y ago
In my case is: Having anonymous accounts give me “freedom of erasure”. So, if I want to quit platform Z, for me it’s as easy as doing nothing: I don’t mind the (anon) posts I wrote, I don’t mind the email I signed up with (used exclusively for anon purposes); all that stuff is not linked to me, so I don’t mind what happens with it. On the other side, if all that stuff is linked to my name, I need to care of making sure it gets deleted by platform Z and all the other places where the stuff has been replicated (which is almost impossible nowadays). I dont want people to know what I wrote 15 years ago in some place of the internet. That’s not me anymore.
- the_mitsuhiko 3y ago
  > I dont want people to know what I wrote 15 years ago in some place of the internet. That’s not me anymore. Did you always feel like that or is that something that came out of the experience of what people do with that information?

dakiol 3y ago

In my case is: Having anonymous accounts give me “freedom of erasure”. So, if I want to quit platform Z, for me it’s as easy as doing nothing: I don’t mind the (anon) posts I wrote, I don’t mind the email I signed up with (used exclusively for anon purposes); all that stuff is not linked to me, so I don’t mind what happens with it. On the other side, if all that stuff is linked to my name, I need to care of making sure it gets deleted by platform Z and all the other places where the stuff has been replicated (which is almost impossible nowadays). I dont want people to know what I wrote 15 years ago in some place of the internet. That’s not me anymore.

the_mitsuhiko 3y ago
> I dont want people to know what I wrote 15 years ago in some place of the internet. That’s not me anymore. Did you always feel like that or is that something that came out of the experience of what people do with that information?