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I've been maintaining this identity for a while now but I must admit it's hard for me, sometimes I wish people who know one of the identities knew what the other one is doing or has done, but self doxxing to one person could mean many others would learn the same.
Having this identity gives me freedom to say what I want to say living in countries I would otherwise not say, it allows me to do things without painting a target on my back, and it also allows me to go places I would not go fearing long-term consequences for my original identity.
I believe many here also enjoy the benefits of having another identity. But if you are serious about it you will need to create emails, various accounts, use VPN, use software that protects from fingerprint, so on and so forth. On a day to day basis this becomes a burden and I have accidentally doxxed myself a couple of times, so my recent thought is that this identity is probably compromised and I would need a new one, but this time I would create some physical boundary to isolate it, like having a dedicated computer to do all my online activity and not mix it with my other identities.
I think it's pretty awesome that the internet allows us to do that, and if you have a little bit of technical knowledge you can take the protections to a high standard. But often I find myself wishing I could just have my single and original identity, life was simpler back then.
I would like to heard from others their experience and advice on the topic as it's often lonely and hard to keep doing this.
190 sats \ 0 replies \ @flat24 18 Aug
I was never aware of these issues until I started studying Bitcoin.
formerly everywhere you subscribed or opened an account for some Internet service. We used our real names and data.
Today thanks to protocols such as Nostr we can more easily manage the identities that we want to be public on the Internet. and maintain our real and private data.
Today I use these services or applications that may be helpful for you.
None require your real data for use or registration.
  • SimpleX
  • Mullvad VPN
  • Tutamail
  • Protónmail
  • Zapstore
  • Amber
  • Primal
  • Amethyst

These are some examples. I hope it is useful.

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I use a number of nyms, but I don't have any real belief I can prevent a well resources attacker from connecting them. So I don't worry too much about the more intense protections you mention (eg software that protects from fingerprint).
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Yeah, it does feel a little lonely. And I'm positive I've made enough mistakes that anyone well-resourced could figure things out.
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like having a dedicated computer
this
Or you could use Qubes and set up a virtualized OS for each persona. It's got a way to color code each OS's windows so it's hard to get them mixed up.
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Simpler alternative is just having multiple user accounts on your computer for alternate identities
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215 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 18 Aug
I know the feeling. It's a lot of work, and I look around and wonder if it's worth it. Lots of people I respect in bitcoin are out in the open every day:
@k00b @Car Odell Marty Bent
Even Lopp
Why am I hiding?
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Because you don't want to get wrench attacked.
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creating and managing identities is such a bullshit people who talk about it have no idea
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I heard being a schizo can help with this problem.
Or you can choose to be a digital nomad.But this is getting harder every year.
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They have a lot of invaluable advice for managing identities both on the personal opsec side, and software side.
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If you're at risk of personal danger of any kind, cycle nyms, and don't care about reputation; ego screws with anonymity. Be relentless when you need to cycle and walk away. That's what you have the nym for.
If you feel you're juggling, reduce your activity. Pick what you need and only those interactions that have the most value and do that. Delete nyms.
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Well, you had me from the title. And you literally dropped the mic on
having a dedicated computer
If it gets hard for you to manage multiple identities maybe you should stop doing that. There is a trend these days with people blocking family and known persons online for their mental health and freedom of speech and career. At first I was a bit shocked and then I got it. It does has a point if you feel constrained or judged or not understood. I does have a point if you are thinking on one level and them at the other. We can chose people around us at all times, we just have to assume the choice and live with it.
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I’ve always felt that living with multiple identities is like holding different threads, sometimes everything runs smoothly, other times they tangle and you’re afraid that pulling the wrong one might unravel it all. It’s not just about the technical side,emails, VPNs, separate devices it’s also a psychological weight, because you constantly have to remember who you “are” in each moment.
At the same time, there’s a real sense of freedom in it. It’s like having small shelters where you can speak or act without being chained to your past moves. I think the key isn’t chasing perfect security (it doesn’t exist), but finding a rhythm that lets you keep going without burning out.
And maybe most importantly, remembering that behind every pseudonym there’s a human being carrying the same need for freedom and breathing space. That alone makes the whole thing feel a little less lonely.
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I had a similar problem to yours and I'm thinking about how to fix it. This is because I kind of fell into it without the proper care I have today, and I see that it's minimal. I'm fine with SN; the problem is the spaces where I left this vulnerable, which weakens everything else.
My line will be more or less the same as yours, as much as I like my account and the history it gives me.
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