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A comment on Ask HN: What was the Internet like before corporations got their hands on it?. Parent comment

Re:Ask HN: What was the Internet like before corporations go... by systematical on Sunday January 13, 2019 @01:09PM (#18897833)
"real part of themselves" except for their name, anonymity was easier when I first started using the internet circa 1995. Doxing wasn't a thing.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: What was the Internet like before corporations go... by Starwatcher2001 on Sunday January 13, 2019 @03:32PM (#18898512)
I agree with that. There were a number of anonymous remailers [0] where you could send emails to others, or make posts to Usenet[1]. The remainers would strip all the headers from your post and replace them with a specific number. Other users could then reply to you using that number without knowing your real email address or name. Likewise, you wouldn't know theirs. Coupled with PGP, anonymity was very high.

I spent many months making good friendships with people like that before being comfortable with coming out as trans.

It was good not being tracked and traced.

[0] The most famous being anon.penet.fi. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penet_remailer

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet

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Re:Ask HN: What was the Internet like before corporations go... by systematical on Monday January 14, 2019 @02:47AM (#18901385)
Yep, takes a lot more effort these days. Effort I am just not willing to put forth. The most I do is periodically Google my name and remove old information I no longer want out there.
[ Parent | on HN ]