Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with anonymity

Who are you this time?

A Terrible Llama — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:18:38 -0800

I am interested in people's experiences in using their real names online. For those of you who operate under your real first and last names online:

Why did you make that decision?
Are you a forward-facing person at a company, site moderator, etc., where your professional capacity influences what you post?
Have there been any repercussions or regrets? Positive things?

I'm at a crossroads with this because of some professional reasons that have come up, and am questioning if I should reevaluate how I handle this.

how to give my money away while pretending not to have done so

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:09:37 -0800

I want to donate $500 to my favorite local volunteer-run non-profit. I'm friends with the folks who run the thing, and would prefer to remain anonymous. I know which bank we use, and can name 2-3 of the 5 people on the account. Can I just show up at the bank and deposit this money? Is there any reason why I shouldn't do this? I don't really want to go through a lawyer, or mail a money order. I'd rather just go to the bank and deposit it to the account, if it's a legitimate option.

How do I best create an anonymous video of myself?

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:23:27 -0800

I want to record and post a video of myself talking to camera etc, but want to make it anonymous. Are these two things mutually exclusive, or is there a way of doing this right? I'd like to effectively mask my own voice and face, but where possible keeping the surroundings visible. I'd also like to avoid physically covering my own face for the video.

For the video itself, I'd be looking for software-based or physical solutions, as I don't have any hardware beyond a camera. I'd also be keen to hear tips and tricks about where and how best to post the video anonymously, etc.

Which Internet Pioneer regretted the Internet's Anonymity

philosophistry — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:59:09 -0800

Which famous Internet pioneer regretted the anonymity of the Internet? I forget who it was. Was it Tim Berners-Lee who said his one big regret about the Internet was anonymity? I'm trying to write something about this topic.

Help me find the article about the column written by "We"

Su — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:25:40 -0800

I need a hand trying to hunt down an article about a column published by "We," probably in New York. Some time ago, I read an article about a publication that at one point regularly published a column, probably as editorial or opinion, with the byline "We," giving the suggestion that it represented the opinions of the entire publication. It was well-known, however, that any given piece was only written by a single anonymous author, with no particular requirement that their piece agree or even be consistent with anything previously written.

Here are the details I've got:

* The article would have been published within the last ten years, but also several years ago, ie. probably before 2006/7. (This has been tormenting me on and off for a while.)
* Based on what I was reading at the time, there's a strong chance the article appeared in The New Yorker or Harper's.
* It would most likely have been /about/ one of those two or the New York times, though I have a definite impression this was a New York thing, so Harper's seems least likely.
* It's not too likely that the article was in the same publication that originally ran the column.
* I don't recall the main title of the article, but pretty strongly recall a sub-title of "How [publication] Killed 'We'"
* I believe part of the reason the practice was stopped involved internal conflict at the publication itself over the content of the pieces, and/or general feuding.

It's not too much, and the possible search terms suck(I've tried), but maybe it'll drag up a memory for someone.

Journalist/Political Blogging from, and about, Turkey. Censorship issues?

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 11:41:18 -0800

I'm re-locating to Turkey in the upcoming months (due to unrelated circumstances), and whilst there, I intend on starting, and keeping, a regular blog about current events, human rights issues, the EU bid, and such. Photojournalism, where appropriate - and available - will also be included. So, I suppose I have a few questions. (long post, my apologies!) Due to current restrictions on freedom of the press, freedom of speech, Article 301, and others, any attempts at accurate journalism will either be censored, or may result in a less than friendly introduction to the Turkish legal system. However, human rights violations can't simply be ignored. The more they're spoken about, the more they're seen, the more can be done.

So, on to my questions:

1} What level of anonymity, if any, should I attempt? Should I go by a pseudonym? Or just leave out undue personal details and contact info?

2} Internet security. Would something like Hotspot Shield (on my personal laptop) be good, unnecessary, or not enough? Current laptop is running OSX.

3} To circumvent the frequent blocking of blogger.com and wordpress.com domains, I was thinking of using Wordpress, but on my own domain, hosted in either France, or North America. The content may still be blocked on an individual basis, but would my identity be protected?

4} Would it be better to access the internet from my home connection, via laptop, go to an internet cafe and use their connection, and their computer, OR, use my personal laptop in an area with WIFI access, such as a restaurant or hotel? [sidenote: At "home" I will be sharing internet with acquaintances, and will be unable to "reconfigure" anything, or whathave you.]

5} I'm not looking to make money out of this. I will be in the country primarily for other reasons. But I do hope to use this as a chance to gain more exposure, and promote dialogue, on daily Turkish life, whatever that happens to entail. It would be nice, though not entirely necessary, if I was able to add this to my journalistic resume in some way, professionally. Is there a way to do this, while keeping a relatively low profile, and avoiding arrest?

Should I just be submitting articles to small, foreign media outlets instead?

Any advice on how to be an online journo in Turkey, while keeping ones integrity, and still maintaining a minimal level of safety, would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps I'm being overly fearful. I hope I am. I realize Turkey isn't China. I would just rather seek out advice in advance, than regret my naivety. Thanks!

________________________________________

I'm certain you're going to be wondering if I have a background in this at all; if I have any idea what I'm doing... I know it certainly doesn't seem like it from re-reading this. Well, I have a background in broadcast media, ENG camera work, docu editing, television script writing, and freelance photography. I have also traveled rather extensively. The general field of work is not new to me. Political/journo human rights blogging, however, is a new endeavor.

*Throwaway email: journoblogger at yahoo.FR*

Shhh!

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:03:53 -0800

How anonymous is my anonymous blog? What steps would someone have to take to figure out that I am the person publishing my anonymous blog? Right now I use blogger. Would I be less anonymous if I had my own domain name? I'm thinking of using adsense - in which case Blogger would know that I am associated with my blog. How concerned should I be that someone else can track that connection? (I'm not blogging about anything illegal, I just really want to stay anon). Also, if its not obvious, I am tech-stupid, so please speak slowly in a loud, clear voice when answering my question.

anonym.os question for OS X

ranebo — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:50:06 -0800

Is anyone aware of an "anonym.os, livecd" installation on a USB drive that runs on OS X (equivalent to DemocraKey for Windows)?

Should I blog under my real name?

Dr.James.Orin.Incandenza — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:14:22 -0800

To be, or not to be? The benefits and costs of blogging under your real name. Is it worth it? Swarm,

For the last several years I've been blogging using a pseudonym (guess which one) but am considering establishing a new blog using my real identity. I recently moved overseas and would like to start writing about political and economic developments in East Asia (something I have a background in) using my real name.

What are some of the pluses and minuses of blogging openly?

Thankie thankie,
James

WHOIS that? It's nobody...

Don-da-lah — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:14:49 -0800

I recently registered a .co.uk domain name. I've since found out that my full name is visible on a WHOIS. What can I do to hide it? I've contacted Nominet (the registrar for all .uk names) and they've said that it is possible to change the name by registering it to someone else, but I need to provide proof that the person exists.

Basically, I just want no personally identifying information to be available online. I don't mind a completely wrong address being available, or whatever. Just assume for the purposes of this question that I'm extremely paranoid. Ahem.

1] Would it be simplest to pay a friend to "take over" the domain name? Nominet are requesting a utility bill as proof that the other person exists, so obviously it has to be someone real.

2] Could I register the domain as a business, but put no personal information in the business address box? I'd just give it a try, but I don't want to mess up again.

Are there any other options I should consider?

I'd like to be able to use the name, but if there is no way of hiding myself, then I'm prepared to not-use it. Nominet do have a privacy option for individuals, but it only hides the address, not the name.

Privacy advocacy

Brian B. — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:37:00 -0800

Besides the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Online Privacy Alliance, what groups, if any, protect or lobby for the concept of privacy or anonymity in the United States, and how involved are they?

Safe facebooking

poweredbybeard — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 21:49:01 -0800

Help me practice safe (ie. semi-anonymous) facebooking. I've been devoutly avoiding Facebook. I'm kind of curious to see what it's like, but I'd like to do it in a way that means as little information as possible ends up in others' hands (especially, but not exclusively, those interested in datamining).

I'm told that FB is very proactive, and not entirely forthcoming, about trying to get as much info about you as possible when you sign up/sign in... and also that a rookie might not be aware of all the sorts of information that become public, indirectly or otherwise, when they create an account and start using the site.

Please give me tips/insights in to how to keep a FB account as separate as possible from my actual life, while still being useable.

Anonymous but thorough public records search?

l8erm8 — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:01:30 -0800

I'm looking for a good free public records site. I'm trying to track someone down, and have had only minimal luck. Quite a bit of searching has revealed that she is alive, and possibly where she is living/working. A few public records sites have yielded results that could be what I'm looking for, but I don't want to pay for something that doesn't pan out. Peoplefinder.com has one free result that includes a "possible employment/business association" that pretty much guarantees I have found the right person. If the same information can be found free of charge somewhere online, then of course I'd like to do that.

I would rather not have my name/personal information associated with this search. Since it's so easy to search for other people, I imagine it's possible to find out who has searched for YOU. Does anyone know?

I appreciate any suggestions!

GeekFilter: Where can I get a *nix shell account in another country?

nafrance — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 04:11:14 -0800

Where can I get a *nix shell account in another country? I'd like to aquire a shell account, preferably based in a country that is a little less...how shall we say...'strict' than the US.
Eastern Bloc/Russia seems like a good idea, but I can't seem to find what I need (even with liberal use of translation tools).

While you may not believe me, it's not for anything illegal - I just don't like the idea of having an account with a US company that might hand my details over or cut me off simply with a well-worded letter.
It'd be nice for privacy and anonymity puposes, too...

Does Tor render other apps "anonymous"?

rumbles — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 19:06:56 -0800

Anonymity-online-filter: When using something like TOR (http://tor.eff.org/) to be "anonymous" online you modify browser settings; but there are many apps other than browsers that access the internet (Bittorrent, antivirus, etc.). Does TOR take care of these apps as well? Why, why not, etc.?

Help with Anonymous Amazon Shopping

IndigoSkye — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 03:59:00 -0800

Help me do anonymous shopping at Amazon.com with funds from my paypal account. I would like to do some anonymous shopping at Amazon.com. I have a Paypal account that is essentially untrackable to me. However, Amazon.com does not accept Paypal. The items I want to buy I can't find at other online stores. Rather than deposit this $$$ in my bank account then spend from that account (which will render this transaction not anonymous), does anyone know of a way to convert Paypal funds into a currency that Amazon accepts while maintaining some anonymity on my end.

Ethics of online research

Anonymous — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 19:05:50 -0800

I am a research assistant for a project that involves studying participants in a website for a particular deviant sexuality. I think my research methodology is unethical, but my supervisor disagrees. What can I do? Is the internet a public or private place? The only way to study this group is to join as a member. We made up several fake email accounts in order to make several fake membership profiles, and we sign in under these profiles to examine the profiles of the real members. If I were just a lurker, it wouldn't be so bad, but members have begun to contact my persona. I have found out that they get a notification if I look at their profile; this is clearly not simply observation anymore. Also, I am of the firm belief that parts of the internet which require membership are not public spaces.

I have mentionned my concerns to my supervisor and he said that the internet is public space and does not require the ethical considerations usually given to human subjects research. The profiles I am studying have some very personal and possibly damaging information, and some of them even have pictures. I know that if I were in their place, I would feel violated. This website prides itself on discretion and respect.

I am very concerned that we are being deceptive and putting our unknowing-informants at risk. I can't antagonize my supervisor, though, because I can't afford to sacrifice this position. I am a lowly undergraduate trying to show a presence in the department. When I confronted him and asked him about the ethical issues, he became really defensive.

Is this research really unethical, or am I making a big deal over nothing? How can I salvage this project without burning this bridge?

Anyone anonyblogging?

skylar — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 04:49:37 -0800

Is there a simple to use, high-quality weblog creation service that will allow me to blog with a reasonable level of anonymity? Blogger has always been okay but as far as I know doesn't seem to cater for categories, which is something I seek. I'm attracted to TypePad though a look at their privacy policy suggests they're collecting all sorts of information and are likely to pass it on to quite a few parties. Are there more anonymous blog apps out there?

How to publicize a useful experience anonymously?

scarabic — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 00:19:54 -0800

Let's say you've had an experience and written about it. And let's say it's something others on the internet might want to know about. And let's say you have it saved as a simple html doc and would like to get it out there, accessible via Google, etc. And let's say you'd like perfect anonymity. What can you do to get it out there and indexed but not traceable? Free? Anonymous? Publish and forget? Obviously, this is about battling spammers at some point. Advice?

LokiTorrent panic filter

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 11:52:22 -0800

Let's assume, for a second, that I've maybe used LokiTorrent a few times to download a few things. Now, assume I've done this through a router and cable modem. How traceable am I? Is there any chance I could get sued? (i.e. should I take my computer and any CDs I have and make a big bonfire?)