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Comment by pgt | Hacker News Reader

Only a fool would enter their name in this.

Right on, nobody will know my name as long as I don't search my name where other people can see it. My name is a secret.

This is just an SEO job/psyop to make "Kyle Maxwell" an even better alias. Hiding in plain sight.

I trust your real name is not actually Kyle Maxwell :) I do this too, btw - a random name generator is the very best form of internet anonymity.

(If it actually is your real name, then I can only assume you're using an iocaine powder strategy to beat the internet ...)

From one person who's completely not-anonymous on HN to another: Why? Do you worry about the association of your IP address with your real name by yet another site other than any place you've made purchases from or signed up for an account from?

(I'm asking seriously, as I can see some risk to having that linkage more public, but given the rate with which services holding PII are compromised and my own personal rate of receiving notices of "oops, we kinda sorta leaked everything about you, here, have more free credit monitoring", I assume almost all of this is available already.)

I think its guys just who don't really understand how the internet works. I'm flabbergasted that its 2026 and I still see the "oh no my IP" trope.

If you're worried about it use a VPN.

Your ISP anyway knows your IP or at the very least your current one if its dynamic.

People who blur their car license plates - when you can go to their social media profile and usually geolocate them down to a street address.

Unless you think Osama Bin Laden[1] is bored and browsing HN, I'm desperately curious to know what you think the risk here could possibly be.

[1] (Yes, I know, it's a joke.)

Absolutely, a good hacker could likely get into your bank with your name alone.

Life must be rough for John Smiths.

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