No one's day to day opsec is good enough to hide from the institutions that are really a threat, so hiding who you are mostly just prevents you from being found & known by the people who are on your side. Makes it easier for you to be black bagged with no consequences.
Discussion
This. Most of what passes as ‘opsec’ is just LARPing.
It's not. Using your identity online makes you more exposed to social engineering attacks.
This sort of "privacy nihilism" you're posing is just a weak ass excuse.
No.
"PrIVacY is hARd sO WhY bOThEr At ALl?"
That is not at all what I am saying. But I think most people who think they have privacy would be completely fucked if they ended up in a situtation where they really needed it. Have a "smart tv" on your home network, all devices are known, you have no privacy, throw everything out & start over. Have an old apple device on your network or regularly in proximity to your "secure" devices, everything you use is now linked to you. Use any mainstream social media app? That's spyware which has completely doxxed you to all major institutions. Have stock firmware on your home router, you're probably fucked.
I absolutely think security should be treated as a process & that people should work towards eliminating every smart tv, & any other potential vulnerability from their lives, as they can afford to do so. Personally, my main goal is just to never move backwards. New phone has to run GrapheneOS. New computer, has to run linux. New router, has to run OpenWRT or a similar alternative.
Anonymity can be useful & is more likely to be maintained in isolated uses. IMO trying to be anonymous in an extended fashion on a day to day basis just gives up too much info to be sustainable. And I don't think it's particularly healthy to not just be you most of the time & to really get to know who YOU actually are.
What makes you so sure everyone that knows you is on your side?
I didn't say that. But the people you cannot hide from definitely aren't on your side.
Most attacks come from people that know you.
Even with state actors, mass surveillance targets people that are easy to track and cross reference.
Okay, what sort of attacks from people I know am I supposed to be worried about?
I can't do the homework for you. This is pointless, anyway. You're using your real name and are obviously overinvested in your position. I don't see it likely you are changing your mind.
Sounds like you don't actually have an argument.
I made a conscious choice to use my real name for the reasons stated above. But I have also been sharing my real beliefs with friends & family on facebook & elsewhere since I first joined. Hiding the real you at work or with friends is just making yourself a slave to the perceptions of others. Being valuable & refusing to hide attracts good people & allows you to shape your life in a way that serves you, rather than contorting yourself in ways that serve ideas & people you hate.
I still am off of twitter now, am mostly free of proprietary software (or at least working in that direction), I have a feeling I will be off of all centralized platforms in the next year or so & will be able to drag a lot of people with me. The goal is to be a sovereign individual, not some sort of shadow creature.
These are all great points on both sides imo. Enjoying the convo and it got me self-reflecting so here are my notes and stuff. Not about security btw
On the value of anonymity:
We all wear masks and hats. We take on identities and live those out in the world. You as a believer of freedom or bitcoin. You as a guy who wears his hat backwards.
Based on our environment, we also act and behave in different ways. We wear different ‘hats’ with our friends, with our family, with our co-workers. Kind of like a ven diagram we adapt to find commonality with others and that unique blend we define with each relationship + activity.
Personally I believe that everyone, even the people you think you hate the most has some center piece of the ven diagram that would be interesting to explore.
However, what if your circles never cross? You miss out on the opportunity to blend and learn. I think that’s where the beauty of play and putting on masks you wouldn’t ordinarily wear is so cool. It offers plasticity and creativity.
Children do this quite often. They play and put on different hats. They explore the world as firemen, avengers, mommy & daddy, etc. It’s an exercise in empathy and exploration of identity.
I think that experimentation offers something special that we get to participate in as cyber monkeys in this social network hivemind.
Throwing on and playing with identities. Experimentation free of the biological tribal hardwiring that would get you outcast and killed when we were hunters and gatherers. Stakes were much higher then, but our bodies and our hypothalamus still think it’s life or death.
Tldr: Play has value. Our biology hasn’t caught up to technology and that has consequences and for most people anonymity offers an opportunity to circumvent that bad wiring
I have no problem with anonymity. It is a very important freedom/option to have. Especially if you want unbiased answers from people in your tribe or in circles where you might not otherwise be welcome. I think being anonymous was one of the most important choices that Satoshi made, both for his own sake & for Bitcoin.
But I still don't think it's best for day to day life unless you're already so famous that no one would ever treat you normally otherwise.
Yea I can see that point of view.
I can 💯 see how anonymity can be a veil. Like you’re almost being dishonest with your inner-self if you rely on wearing the mask all the time.
On the flip, Satoshi is a wonderful example imo of being the change you wish to see in the world and understanding that sometimes that takes separation.
It sounds like for you, it is bravely stepping into the light with your identity.
I still wonder if there is room for other hats that could serve different purposes though? If you wear them for what they are…… just hats 🎩 🧢⛑️🪖
I think one can approach the world with both, if the self-awareness is there for the games they are playing; and it’s not just you playing tricks on yourself
Maybe there is more fulfillment and change invocation in courageously doing both?
sexual attacks
The sort of mental connection I'm looking for can't be faked. No one can pretend to understand the things I talk about well enough to actually engage & enjoy my company & enjoy a relationship with me with any of the depth I want of they don't really mean it. Meaningless sex is a complete waste of time & energy & is just a good way to wind up feeling empty & stupid.
Holy shit, you expressed my sentiments almost exactly