Ask HN: How much do you value your anonymity online? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How much do you value your anonymity online?

2 pointsmrphoebs3 comments

Anonymity online is becoming more and more of a luxury these days. If I come across someone professionally or personally all I need to do is google them and in most cases I'll get a very good idea about their habits, friends, interests... etc (not just what they say).

Personally I value my anonymity and privacy very much and I maintain that online by controlling where my real name appears and what it is associated with(as best I can), fragmenting my online personas limiting interactions using my real name. But with greater interconnectedness of social networks and content sites, this is getting harder to do. And then there is google, with Eric Schmidt saying ridiculous things like "If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."

Should I even bother, is it even resonable to expect to meet people and be genuinely surprised?

I'm probably one of those rare individuals who doesn't value anonymity at all. In fact, I wish people were less anonymous (I'm slowly getting my wish as time goes on). I think if you're going to give your opinion, you shouldn't be afraid to own up to it. I don't pretend I'm so important that nefarious people, either from the public or private sectors, are going to use my personal information to do me harm.

I simply don't publish anything online on public websites that I don't want people to associate with me. That is to say I usually lack discretion, but that's who I am. If someone finds out I'm an atheist who drinks on the weekends and has reservations about the government and decides not to hire me because of it, I consider that a good thing. That's one less intolerant person I have to deal with on a professional basis.

I've not heard a compelling argument for hiding one's identity away. To me it just seems like paranoid delusions. If you're going to interact with a society moving increasingly online, you'd better be willing to come out of the shadows. If you aren't willing to, then just pull the plug.

I would guess that you haven't been stalked and physically threatened, then.

No I haven't, but people were stalked before the internet existed.

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