Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with anonymous

Stranger gives me a camera - why?

lootie777 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:48:24 -0800

I have received a (used) Sony Cybershot camera with a charger and usb cord in the mail. I have no idea who the sender is or why it was sent to me! What is going on here? The camera and various parts are wrapped in plastic bags from other commercial goods - ex. a cosmetic bag - and placed in a plain brown box with newspaper as padding.

My name and address is spelled perfectly, which is really unusual. I have family members who spell my first name incorrectly. It's been sent by USPS First Priority and the stamp on the box shows the same city the return address is from.

The return address has a first name, with what looks like a residential address (per google maps) in Southern California.

I don't know anyone in that area of the country, and the only person that I've known with that first name was an elementary school friend who lives on the other side of the country.

I turned the camera on, there are no pictures in the memory and no extra memory card that I can see. The camera is about halfway charged.

The camera is used, but in very good condition.

Why on earth would someone send something like this to a stranger? I'm a little freaked out!

Hivemind, is this some supercool new thing to do that I'm too dorky to know about? Or is it something more sinister?

Secret Santa Anonymous Shipping

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:17:57 -0800

I would like to ship a gift to my family secret santa from amazon.com, but I can't figure out how to do it anonymously. I looked at their help files and it says you can't ship anonymously to prisons which implies you can do it to other addresses. Does anyone have experience with this?

Note, we don't do a reveal until later, so just having my name on the order would suck. Also, I really want to use Amazon.com because I get free shipping and therefore there would be more bang for my buck in terms of the spending limit.

Un Chi Chien Andalou

cloeburner — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:54:12 -0800

Does anyone have any details about this East Asian song? I found a cassette at the local free bookshop yesterday. There was no case and no mention of an artist, but there were vague tracklistings on the cassette. The name of the song is "Shou Hou Chi Chien". Can anyone translate the lyrics or tell me more about the artist/song [was it famous?]

The tracklist:
A1. Black Forest - Hei Sen Lin [This appears to be a Chinese movie from the 60s]
A2. Take Off Your Veil
B1. Shou Hou Chi Chien
B2. Ying Bin Wu
B3. Taiwan Hau

I really like the song and would like to do a remix of it, and the more details I have, the better.

Thanks in advance.

How do I create an anonymous blog that I can update from my iPhone?

renyoj — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:41:32 -0800

How do I create an anonymous blog that I can update from my iPhone? I have an idea for a blog. I tend to work in a conservative field, so I would like it to be anonymous. If I could update from my iPhone that would be perfect. Is this possible?

Phone communication and keeping it off the books

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:55:00 -0800

I and another person need to communicate with each other via phone and text in a manner that does not appear on our regular phone bills, how do we accomplish this? We are on opposite coasts in the US. One of us is on Tmobile, the other is on AT&T. What methods can we use to call and text each other so that our respective phone numbers do not show up on the monthly phone bill? Do we need to move to a different service? Do we need to get new phones on an account different from our current ones? Has anyone used pay as you go phones? How do they work, are they billed to your credit card or do you buy calling minutes? If you buy calling minutes via the cards available in stores and use your current phone with them, will the numbers show up on your bill?

We're clueless as to your options, so any help or tips would be appreciated.

Dwight says GET BACK TO WORK

kenbennedy — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:34:25 -0800

passiveaggressivefilter: How can I get a (humorous) anonymous call to ring a nearby phone at the office? There is a visiting employee in a cubicle adjacent to mine,; He spends hours at a time chatting it up (loudly) with the neighbors. I remember when "snakes on a plane" came out, Samuel L Jackson would call your phone if you entered it in to leave you a voicemail. That site isn't up now, what similar ones are?

This guy is frigging annoying! I need to break up his irrelevant monologues with hints that he needs to get back to work. I saw an older one for Dwight from "the office" which would be perfect, but I can't find the link now... Help!! (or feel free to give a better suggestion, besides actually approaching the guy and voicing my concerns).

I have the phone # to send it to, I just need to initiate the call so he can't pin me down on the caller ID.

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.

Recommend anonymous, frank, journal-like blogs.

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:23:36 -0800

Can anyone recommend any brutally honest, diary/journal blogs? Ones where people talk about most aspects of their lives: emotions, friendships, relationships, sex, hobbies, politics. Ones where the posts are so private that they can only be kept secret, or shared with strangers.

The Hermeneutics of 4chan: A Deconstructive Analysis of Teh Lulz

Keter — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:27:08 -0800

Academia must have discovered the Internets by now... right? I'm interested in finding some academic, long-form journalism, or just generally "high-thought" articles about "low" Internet culture, from memes to 4chan to Anonymous to Second Life. Halp?! What is the psychology of griefing? What makes a meme? If the center is not the center, then... then... who was Phone?! I barely know where to start, and the college reference librarian gave me a bit of a queer look when I asked her for guidance. I attend an academic institution with a prolific number of journal submissions, so if any potential articles are behind a subscription wall, it's entirely likely that I can access them.

On that note, even suggestions as to possible journals that I can comb on my own time would be helpful--I do my work in the natural sciences predominantly, so I'm unfamiliar with the scene when it comes to other disciplines. Any particularly interesting books would also be welcome.

I've already discovered the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, found a few articles from Bonnie Nardi, and am familiar with I Can Haz Research Paper (from the blue, previously). Not to mention the New York Time's take on 4chan, weev, and anonymous. This is first and foremost for my own curiosity, so anything you have stumbled across that you think would be interesting to digest (whether it be interesting because it's genuinely insightful analysis, or so bad that it's good for the lulz) would be great!

Anonymous course evaluation made simple.

monocultured — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:04:48 -0800

What is the simplest way to allow for an anonymous course evaluation? A simple re-mailer would work, but I can't seem to find one. We've just finished teaching a two semester course at collage, and would like to try anonymous electronic course evaluation.

There's no need to set up a permanent system or anything of that sort; I'm thinking either a web-form or finding a re-mailer. Is there a reliable service one can use for this?

Anonymous comments on a blog runs the risk of someone not noticing that they're still logged in to Blogger or Wordpress or whatnot, but maybe there's a simple way around that?

I want to assure our students that their responses are anonymous on the technical end, but obviously I'm not going to try to circumvent what I'm setting up so there's no need to set up a an overly elaborate system

Maybe encourage everyone to setup a throwaway mail? Not very elegant.

Suggestions for the simplest way to go about this müchos appreciated.

Being discreet online

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:33:51 -0800

I would like to write & sell erotica online. What do I need to know about maintaining my privacy? There are four things in particular that I'd like to keep anonymous/discreet:

1. Receiving & sending money online
2. An anonymous email address that I'd rather not have linked with my current one, but perhaps a bit more sturdy than temporary emails (particularly for replies)
3. Anonymous webhosting & domain names (I can be on a subdomain of another site if need be)
4. Possible ads, with payment to the anon account in #1

How do people that deal with selling sexual media online maintain their privacy? Are there central agencies that take care of this for you, or can you do this yourself?

I'm doing this for a bit of fun, so I'm not expecting tons of money, but some info on how to get this going would be great!

Can you use marijuana in Narcotics Anonymous?

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:23:32 -0800

Can you use smoke marijuana and still be considered "sober" in Narcotics Anonymous? I have a friend who has battled crack addiction for years. Recently (she says) she has going to Narcotics Anonymous and will show a NA sobriety keyring to anyone without any prompting. Also recently, she also has been smoking marijuana like a fiend, and will be restless until some weed can be scored somewhere.

I don't care about the marijuana use - given the alternatives, I would be delighted if she was nothing more than a pothead.

I just wonder if she is fooling herself, or me, or the program when she is combining weed with NA. Given her history (which includes unfortunately a lot of lying), I'm not sure what to think.

Is "humhide.com" what it sounds like?

Anonymous — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 07:58:35 -0800

My fifteen-year-old niece has a notice from a friend that she has been posted on the internet in a potentially dangerous way. More inside, potentially NSFW. The site her picture or video has been posted to is called "humhide.com" My sister and I have tried to find out what the website is about, but do not want to give it the information it demands for us to proceed. Does anyone out in the hive know anything about this website? She is emotionally very vulnerable and most definitely below the age of consent.
Thanks all.

How do I blow the whistle without getting involved?

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:49:44 -0800

I stumbled on a phpMyAdmin page for a database of personal info along with credit card numbers, hosted by a multinational corporation. I deleted some records. How do I report it without being accused of hacking? I Googled an old address, and on the first page of results was a phpMyAdmin page with my partner's name, email, and old address. I clicked on the result and was taken to a purchase records database, complete with phone numbers, credit card numbers and expiration dates. I showed my partner the page and asked, "is this your credit card number?" and got a "yes... WHAT???!!!"

I realized I had admin privileges, so I tested deleting a record, and when it worked I deleted my partner and several other records for good measure.

Now I'd like to tell someone about it, but I'm afraid if I email the company, it will turn into a Very Bad Scene. Again, this is a large multinational company, and I don't want to get caught up in this.

Where could I report this, such as a specific person in the media or wherever, who would handle the information responsibly?

My IP address is now all over this thing. Could what I did be considered hacking?

Also, what is the best way to email someone anonymously?

Why can't I hide from Google?

hamster — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:24:03 -0800

Help me hide my blog from the Googlebots. I blogged professionally from 2002-2007, when the project ended. I decided to start a personal Wordpress blog, and linked to the new blog from the old site before it was taken down.

Unfortunately, because of the link to the old site, the personal blog is now the first Google result when you search under my name. The new blog doesn't use my name or identifying details, but the Googlebots must know it's connected to my name anyway.

I'm starting a new job soon and expect that clients will search for me by name, so the old blog has to go. I'd like to continue blogging for the sake of old fans who still read me, but it would need to be "secret" and not associated with my name in any way.

I don't have email addresses for most of my readers, so I'd like to post the new blog on the old site... but will that just lead the bots to the new home? Can I do something like writing out the new site's address in a way that doesn't link and wouldn't search?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Bump on junk has me worried. Doctor?

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:16:59 -0800

I have a small. hard bump on my penis. Due to my circumstances, I would have an extremely hard time seeing a doctor. Help? I guess something of comparable size is the ball of a ballpoint pen. It is under the skin, on top of my penis, near the base of the shaft. Because of my age (teen), I would have a very hard time seeing a doctor without my parents' knowledge or assistance. I do not want to bring this up to them.

I'm certain this isn't an STD because I've only had sex once before and it was both of our first times. This will almost certainly have an effect on my sex life which is just begging to become more regular.

1)Does anyone have any ideas that would assist me in taking care of this myself?
2) Is there some place (like a clinic?) I can go to a doctor anonymously and conveniently? (free is major bonus)

In L.A.

gmail through SMTP without showing local IP to recipient?

nolnar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:24:31 -0800

when emailing from the gmail web interface then the users local IP is not included in the message source. But when emailing from gmail via SMTP ( smtp.gmail.com ) then the local IP is included in the source. Can I somehow stop that from happening? Scenario: Someone wants to run a blog anonymously but still use a gmail adress for receiving email from readers and replying to such emails.

Can that be done using gmail through SMTP (using thunderbird or some similar program on the local computer) WITHOUT the email recipient getting the IP number of the local computer?

I did some testing. When emailing from the gmail web interface then the users local IP is not included in the message source. But When emailing from gmail via SMTP ( smtp.gmail.com ) then the local IP is included in the source. Can I somehow stop that from happening?

(note: in this thread http://ask.metafilter.com/30539/anonymize-email someone claims that gmail through SMTP strips identifying IP adresses but when testing I found that to not be the case)

(note2: I'm only asking for some way go achieve weak anonymity. If something illegal is done then authorities can probably still request the sender ip from gmail. But that is no problem because the actual scenario involves nothing illegal)

Receiving money, without the buyers knowing my real name?

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:16:28 -0800

I would like to receive money from people, but I don't want them to have my real name or contact information. Can I do this through Paypal, or what are my other options? I'm selling some old clothes online. This isn't a business or anything ongoing, I just have a few things to get rid of. I said so on my blog, and people from a few states away are interested in buying some things. I think they're normal people, but since it's the internet, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I plan on mailing my packages from a big city post office, so I'm not worried about being traced that way. But I don't know how people can pay me without knowing my real contact information. Since this is a one-time thing, I don't want to pay for a P.O. Box (they're quite expensive here). Can they even send a money order without knowing my real name or bank account number?

I was looking at Paypal, but I can't seem to figure it out. If I get the kind of free account that only lets you do e-mail (I don't need a button or anything), when they click on the invoice to pay, will they see my real name or address? Or will Paypal give that information up if the buyer asks? Also, how would Paypal give me my money?

Are there other similar services that would work better? I don't know very much about banking, so I'm not sure about the possibilities. I just don't want to have to pay to set up an account, or have to have certain minimums, or anything like that . . . since this is a one-time thing, it wouldn't be worthwhile. If it matters, individual items are all under $50 and it will probably only add up to maybe a few hundred, at most. Is this the kind of thing you need to pay taxes on? Is there anything else I'm not thinking of?

Anyway, the bottom line is that I don't care if buyers see my username or e-mail address. I just don't want anyone to have my real name or street address connected to my blog by anyone who buys something. Thanks!

How can I host an anonymous Wordpress blog, and not get unmasked?

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:38:36 -0800

How can I set up and host an anonymous Wordpress blog? I want to write about stuff, and I don't want other people to know who I am. How hard is this? I have read the EFF guide to anonymous blogging, I've got tor, Portable Firefox, and all that stuff... what I am concerned about is the actual domain registration and hosting.

The blog has the potential to get some real traffic, and to have some fairly determined people trying to figure out who I am. Or maybe I am just deluding myself, but I want to be very careful regardless. I'm not going to be doing anything illegal, so I don't need to be subpoena-proof, just amateur-sleuth-proof.

Do you trust regular wordpress hosts, or do you think I should go to some shady offshore host that won't ask me for any identifying details?

Do you think is there anything else I'm forgetting?

Email me at anonymousblog-askmefi@gmail.com if you want... thanks very much!!

Have you kicked the habit in a group?

parmanparman — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:42:25 -0800

Has anyone successfully used Nicotine Anonymous to quit smoking? Tell me your story... If you went through the three month program of meetings and got the chips and everything, what was it like, how did you enjoy the experience, and are you still smoke-free? Also, now that you are smoke-free, do you still attend the meetings? I saw a meeting near my office and want to try it out later in the week. Tell me what to expect and how to make the best go of the opportunity to end my nicotine addiction for good.

(You can fill the thread with other advice, but I've tried every other goddamn thing, so you really don't have to bother. Thanks in advance.)

Anonymous, free, non-needle-based HIV testing in NYC?

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:24:06 -0800

In NYC: routine HIV testing that is anonymous (not "confidential"), uses saliva or a fingertip-prick (not a blood draw from the arm), and is free or very cheap -- those three things are musts -- that is in or close to the 5 boroughs? I don't need fast results; just looking for my usual periodic tests. This was easy and free in my former (smaller) city; am I just missing something in NYC?

How can I work anonymously?

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:55:48 -0800

I have a good deal of experience as a phone sex operator. Recently, I decided I would like to go into business for myself rather than work for an agency. I don't think it's legally possible to incorporate anonymously, but still I'd like to keep my real legal identity as private as possible. Any tips? I'd like everything to be on the up-and-up financially/legally speaking, but since the phone sex business encourages obsessive behavior, it's absolutely crucial to hide any/all identifying information about me from even the most persistent clients. Is there any way for me to safely/legally go independent? Or am I doomed to give up more than half my income to a middleman forever?

Looking for a CMS or Forum that supports anonymous posting.

ilikebike — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:44:10 -0800

Looking for a CMS or Forum that supports anonymous posting. I'm creating a complaint/gripe type of site, and I need a script or method for visitors to post items to the main page (probably w/ verification), and then allow a comment or forum system tied to it that also supports anonymous posting.

If no such CMS is available, is there are forum solution that does this?

How can we get CD revenues anonymously?

stewiethegreat — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:53:38 -0800

My buddies and I just finished recording a cd that we'd like to sell on iTunes and in stores but don't want our names attached to it in any way. How can we handle getting the profits in the cheapest way possible? We recorded a cd that is not what we normally do, and don't want to have our names (group, individuals) attached to it in any way. We anticipate modest sales, if it's anything like other cd's we've done, and want to know what the best way is to get the money without there being any way for anyone to find out we did it.

We have created a name for the band, etc, which obviously is not the name of our band.

It seems like the obvious thing to do would be to create a corporation or get a lawyer to handle it, but we have no idea how to go about this, and don't want to blow our anticipated (modest) revenues on anything too expensive. All we need is a way to get the money from iTunes to our bank accounts. We'd rather not solve the problem by asking girlfriends or distant relations receive the money and forward it to us.

Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

Anonymous CRA tipline?

tomcochrane — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:13:26 -0800

I'm searching for an anonymous tip line for the Canada Revenue Agency... A little while ago I heard about a phone number you could call to anonymously report people who you believed were skipping out on properly reporting their taxes. My searches of the CRA website and Google have proved fruitless. Anyone have this number?