Anywhere you use your actual name, your face, or your everyday contact details, people can work out it is you. And if you choose to be anonymous (this option will fade away with time…), that might inspire deeper digging (IP address) or afford you less trust.
Another option is to make up a persona, that is not connected to you in any way.
To do so, you will need:
- a name
- a head shot
- email address
- phone number (Skype)
- real world address (use a mail forwarding service)
- encrypted internet connection from somewhere you don’t otherwise use
- ID
ID is the sticking point. When Curtis Wallen invented his second persona, he achieved this by buying a fake driver’s licence via the Dark Net. This isn’t an option for most people, because it is either too hard for them to achieve, or they prefer not to do anything illegal.
The face is easy – Curtis just merged elements from a few people he knew:
(the fake face is second from the right)
OK, it is a lot of effort. But if you wish to be a credible person, without any way for the authorities to connect them with your true self, it needs to be.
If you only put in half the effort (skipping ID and using a different IP address), then it will suffice for stopping regular folk knowing it is you. But just regular folk.
