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Fake name generator for social media
- thyrsus 12y agoThe e-mail addresses are at guerrilamail.com, provider of temporary addresses - and blocked from my current location. Are those addresses checked for availablility?
- jstalin 12y agoThe email address is based off the randomly generated name, with extra characters added. The possibility of a conflict is extremely low.
- dredmorbius 12y agoIf guerillamail.com is blocked, try mailinator.com (or any of its numerous sibling domains).
- goldmouth 12y agoThis is extremely useful for my day to day work, thank you!
- alexzeig456 12y agoThis is exactly what we are trying to prevent. We believe there should be some semblance of identity in the internet. For the exact opposite of this post, check out bluecheck.me
- arbitrage 12y agoSurely there's room enough for both? People who want to be anonymous, and those who want to be verifiable? Why does anonymity need to be 'prevented'?
- JetSpiegel 12y agoHow can you target ads if people are anonymous?
- scintill76 12y agoYou seem to take targeting ads as an essential operation that everyone will agree is essential.
- JetSpiegel 12y agoPoe's Law strikes again. It's not my point of view, but it sure is for the incumbents.
- reitanqild 12y agoAs long as you can tell them apart you can target ads. You don't need to know the names, exact addresses, email etc.
- DonHopkins 12y agoInstead of targeting ads, just develop products that everyone wants. Problem solved!
- dredmorbius 12y agoLocation + search terms are vastly more useful than any comprehensive history. The comprehensive history, by contrast, is really starting to creep people out. Source: G+ discussion with a Google engineer. https://plus.google.com/104092656004159577193/posts/HFT1emeFpwU https://plus.google.com/104092656004159577193/posts/HFT1emeF... The claim that Google requires intrusive personal dossiers for revenue generation is a myth. Google doesn't even use detailed personal dossiers in search ads, which we all know generates the vast majority of Google's revenue. It's really hard to do much better in search advertising than current query + location. Yes, we do a bit more than that, and will probably do more personalization going forward, but more personalization rarely yields more revenue. Instead, it usually improves our metrics associated with user satisfaction, although again the effects are probably far smaller than you would think.
- gregbarbosa 12y agoI'm having some trouble understanding what your product does exactly. The blue check isn't an official verification is it? It's just one chosen by bluecheck, correct?
- zenciadam 12y agoPrevent what? Better pedigree data for the NSA, FBI, BKA? Fuck that noise.
- scintill76 12y ago"BLUECHECK" is a registered trademark of 3M: http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78959070&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78959070&caseType=SERIAL_N... I don't really know what this means for you. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has some idea.
- icebraining 12y agoAccording to that link, it's a brand for a biometric device. I don't think it'd conflict, but IANATL.
- scintill76 12y agoAh, I think you are right. Wikipedia says, "The law in most jurisdictions also allows the owner of a registered trademark to prevent unauthorized use of the mark in relation to products or services which are identical ... The test is always whether a consumer of the goods or services will be confused as to the identity of the source or origin." I'd say it's reasonable that people aren't going to be confused by the difference between a social media product (or whatever you'd call this) and a biometric device. Then again, both products have a connection to personal identity. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark#Registration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark#Registration
- JeremyMorgan 12y agoHere's what I've learned in 10+ years of web marketing, and it's simple. If someone is giving you fake info, it's because they don't want to be contacted. It's a cold lead you'll just spend money chasing that most likely will never convert.
- georgemcbay 12y agoSometimes worse than a cold lead, but a toxic lead. When companies step over boundaries I've spent at least some effort to erect, not only will I not convert (if only out of spite, even if I think their product might otherwise have some value to me), I'll spend days, maybe weeks ranting about how shitty they are to everyone who will listen.
- ejr 12y agoI wish more people took a sane approach like this. I can't tell you how many times I've had to turn down - politely at first - sales from seemingly reputable companies. I find it hard to believe they would approach anything else in the organisation with that level of clumsiness. I'd rather buy from someone who is actually willing to listen to me.
- TelmoMenezes 12y agoGood job, but I suggest you add more flair. For example, you could certify that a person is appropriate for a work environment, for example checking their political views and browsing history. Also great for health insurance, making the process of risk assessment more transparent, with verifiable drug use history, eating and exercise habits and even DNA testing. This is a grow market.
- yuhong 12y agoPreventing it is not a good idea, but we should still try to make it unnecessary if possible. That is another topic though.
- jarman 12y agoOnly way to make it unnecessary is either by making people perfectly tolerant, or perfectly uniform. In both cases it won't be people anymore
- yuhong 12y agoI said if possible. Eg. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7809766 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7809766 (notice my comments)
- teddyh 12y agoPreventing anonymity harms a lot of people: http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Who_is_harmed_by_a_%22Real_Names%22_policy%3F http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Who_is_harmed_by_a_%22Rea...
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- DonHopkins 12y agoIs that the Royal We, or do you care to identify who "we" really are? Since you're so concerned about identity and all that.
- wehadfun 12y agoThis is great. Would be nice if it came with a facebook, twitter, and gmail account.
- 3rd3 12y agoAnd with car keys and an ID card.
- mtrn 12y agoThis is even more comprehensive: http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/ http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/ - you get every detail you need, name, occupation, age, even credit card numbers and SSN.
- gregbarbosa 12y agoWould be cool to have an API. Could be useful for mass address book creation.
- mtrn 12y agoWho would need mass address books?
- userbinator 12y agoPeople writing address book software.
- kevinkimball 12y agoFaker (for ruby here https://github.com/stympy/faker https://github.com/stympy/faker) originally for perl, available elsewhere also
- ultramancool 12y agoNice, anything like this available in Python or C# land? Or even a simple desktop app rather than a webapp?
- lucb1e 12y agoI used rot13 for my last name, trying normal words as input until you get a normal word as output. Sparks fun conversations when people find it a strange last name and you get to explain that there is a secret meaning.
- elwell 12y agoNo one's going to donate if you just put you bitcoin wallet address. Donations need to take less than 20s and be mindless. Preferrably, just a matter of a few clicks. You might be better off with paypal; unless you're just aiming for trendy and unobtrusive, then bitcoin is fine, but I wouldn't have any expectations.
- elwell 12y agoI think a more valuable tool would be one that exports like 5000 identities to a csv file (or a data structure in whatever language you want json, clojure vector of maps, SQL, etc). Then I could import a bunnch of identites into my database and load test my system. I would need to specify column/key names for each field.
- Stormcaller 12y agoThis can be easily done with "Faker", see: https://github.com/fzaninotto/Faker https://github.com/fzaninotto/Faker It can create fake names, locations, account info, credit cards and so on...
- uniclaude 12y agoMaybe something like this? http://www.identitygenerator.com/ http://www.identitygenerator.com/
- dasmithii 12y agoA JSON-formatted return value would be convenient
- Killswitch 12y agoAsk and you shall receive[0]. Wrote this using Faker[1] after viewing the responses of this thread. [0]: http://www.certifiedwebninja.com/fake.json http://www.certifiedwebninja.com/fake.json [1]: https://github.com/fzaninotto/Faker https://github.com/fzaninotto/Faker
- tomw1808 12y agoGreat, bookmarked! And here's one with pictures: http://www.designskilz.com/users/ http://www.designskilz.com/users/
- jstalin 12y agoThanks for the feedback. I'll look at adding json, additional data (suggestions welcome), and changing the temporary email domain regularly so it's harder to block.
- userbinator 12y agoI like how Fakena (the way I first read the domain) sounds like a perfectly cromulent "ethnic" female given name.
- daimyoyo 12y agoDid they register a large block of phone numbers? I reverse searched the number they gave me, and it was valid, but I called it and the number is "not reachable".
- TezzellEnt 12y agoExactly this. What of the companies that require "SMS" verification? Where does the text go to?
- jstalin 12y agoIt's the correct area code for the city and zip code, but otherwise a completely randomly generated phone number. rand(201,799)-rand(1000-9999).
- nitin_flanker 12y agoOh wow this is fantastic. They are providing everything. :)
- teddyh 12y ago(See also fakenamegenerator.com, discussed here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7095010 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7095010) Personally, I use this: # aptitude install rig RIG (Random Identity Generator) is a free replacement for a shareware program out there called 'fake'. It generates random, yet real-looking, personal data. It is useful if you need to feed a name to a Web site, BBS, or real person, and are too lazy to think of one yourself. Also, if the Web site/BBS/person you are giving the information to tries to cross-check the city, state, zip, or area code, it will check out. $ rig Adolph Cline 739 Anton Dr Mentor, OH 44060 (216) xxx-xxxx $
- billpg 12y agoYou don't see many people called Adolph these days. I wonder why that is.
- nnnnni 12y agoYeah, the only one that I know is my friend Adolph Mussolini Stalin. He always gets weird looks for some reason.
- dredmorbius 12y agoThen there's my little dog Tojo. I keep telling him "we're not in Canton anymore".
- dredmorbius 12y agorig is neat, but really limited. It uses a fixed database of 1000 first and last names, and has AFAIK no hooks for generating IDs based on gender, ethnicity, or real-world population density patterns. I've _long_ considered some sort of system to extend or expand on it, using U.S. Census data (~20k first names and many last, scored by ethnicity probability, plus other demographics). Though it is useful.
- joelthelion 12y agoVery useful for sites like Quora who do not understand that some users don't want to use their real life identity.
- dspillett 12y agoThat does erk me slightly. I appreciate the need for anonymity in some circumstances, and the desire for it in others whether it be needed or not, and I'm not keen on being tracked any more than the next person, but... The "why should I have to give you X before you'll give me Y? - here have junk instead" thing is wrong IMO. You don't have to give them X, you have the option of going elsewhere or simply living without Y. Why should they give you Y without you providing X if they don't want to? Their house, their rules. Voting with your feet is more likely to have some effect than providing fake information will.
- Ankaios 12y agoThe "why should I have to give you X before you'll give me Y? - here have junk instead" thing is wrong IMO. That's an interesting opinion. However, this isn't just "their house." They chose to provide their site as part of the Web, and some of us believe that means they'll have to cope with the broader community's norms and traditions, too, including anonymity and pseudonymity.
- joelthelion 12y agoI respect your reasoning, but the problem with the web is that people tend to flock to one or a few sites, creating monopolies or oligopolies. So it's not like you have a million sites to go "vote with your feet". I had the same debate regarding open-ended questions on the stack exchange network a while back, and as a result moved to Quora. But no site is perfect.
- jstalin 12y agoWorking with the guy who runs guerrillamail.com, I just added a custom domain for those who are blocked from accessing guerrillamail for the temporary email address. I plan to rotate the email custom domain monthly.
- vishalzone2002 12y agoI am curious, how does it makes sure that a name is fake? Even if its random, isn't there a high chance to generate a real name?
- DonHopkins 12y agoKarma Justice, who lives on 3024 Boulevard Way, seems TOTALLY legit. https://fakena.me/j/51e765ff78903ffbedbdceef372865290806b49d736815f268f06f0a1bb1ec45d99cf1f6c7616abfb4431a976cd387fb374409dcf6cba2792bf24734436dc45c.html https://fakena.me/j/51e765ff78903ffbedbdceef372865290806b49d...
- jstalin 12y agoHah, my initial first name database is the top 1000 baby names... so this is a humorous coincidence.
- DonHopkins 12y agoI hereby donate this identity to the public domain! Anybody can use Karma Justice for any purpose they want, good or evil! But beware -- whatever you do will come back to you.
- ljk 12y ago> you should change your username and email address frequently so sites don't build a history of your activities isn't it pretty easy for the sites to collect history of your activities anyways since those emails/username are tied to the same account on said sites?