Subject: Happy New Year. It's January 1st. I'm changing the moniker on my accounts

Every January 1st, I change the moniker on many of my accounts for privacy. Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> is what the moniker is now.

The rest of the headers are completely random from dictionary lookups
(as my "newsreader" is actually a bunch of scripts using telnet & gVim).

I'm not "hiding from you". I change nothing but the headers. Hence, if you can't figure out who I am in less than about ten seconds based on what I
write and how I write it and how I post excellent research often backed up
by detailed annotated screenshots & photos, please don't exclaim a thousand posts from now that you finally eventually figured it out - as when you do
that - it's absurd you think I'm "hiding" from you.

If you have no understanding of privacy, then save us all the trouble and
just put me in your killfile because anyone saying that they "found me" is someone who has nothing to offer because if it's that difficult for anyone
to figure out what is never hidden, then they have no right to exclaim
they're a genius for finally figuring out what was never hidden from them.

Note that while the headers are dictionary lookups, I did take what Andy & Chris suggested into account by adding scripts to identify the fontset.
--
My goal on these Usenet newsgroups is to teach, learn and to help others.
I post so many thousands of times a year, that privacy is inherently key.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Happy New Year. It's January 1st. I'm changing the moniker on my accounts

Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> ha scritto:

(as my "newsreader" is actually a bunch of scripts using telnet & gVim).

This calls for a tutorial. Does it work from a smartphone too?
(Happy new year to you!)

--
Qihe

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Happy New Year. It's January 1st. I'm changing the moniker on my accounts

Qihe wrote:

(as my "newsreader" is actually a bunch of scripts using telnet & gVim).

This calls for a tutorial. Does it work from a smartphone too?
(Happy new year to you!)

Hi Qihe,

Happy New Year!

It started on Centos, probably two decades or so ago, where it was written
up on the alt.os.linux newsgroup for a while, but then I moved to Windows.

Herbert Kleebauer & Marek Novotny helped me a lot, as did many others.

For Android, there's no "good" writer, but for a reader, this is OK: <https://i2pn2.pugleaf.net/groups/comp.mobile.android>

But, for some strange reason, it isn't updated to the latest threads.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Happy New Year. It's January 1st. I'm changing the moniker on my accounts

Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Every January 1st, I change the moniker on many of my accounts for privacy.

Not counting your six nym/'address'-shifts since last January. But we
don't bother with 'details' like that, do we!?

And you're still abusing domains. Perhaps at least stopping doing
*that* is a good New Year resolution?

Anyway, Happy New Year to you.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Happy New Year. It's January 1st. I'm changing the moniker on my accounts

Frank Slootweg wrote:

Happy New Year to you.

Happy New Year to you too.

For decades, I have responded to others exactly as they respond to me.
If you're respectful of me, I'm fully respectful of you.

That promise extends to everyone. It always has been that way.
The newsgroup benefits from all of our technical contributions.

For example, we answer questions, we test apps, we test out Google's and Apple's WPS systems, we suggest modifications, we write tutorials, etc.

We all add value to the technical knowledge level of this newsgroup.

All that greatly added value is not found in the header, but in the body.
Like a gift is wrapped, where the value isn't in the pretty wrapping paper.

While the privacy goal is to munge the meaningless headers, if anyone can't figure out my posts in ten seconds, they have no business being on this ng.

The privacy goal is to be harder to find by robots, not by actual people.
--
My goal on these Usenet newsgroups is to teach, learn and to help others.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Happy New Year. It's January 1st. I'm changing the moniker on my accounts

Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Every January 1st, I change the moniker on many of my accounts for privacy.

The rest of the headers are completely random from dictionary lookups
(as my "newsreader" is actually a bunch of scripts using telnet & gVim).

Hmm, are your scripts smart enough to incorporate AI to the extent
available to parse and analyze the content of articles you retrieve from
the NNTP server? Nope, so why do you expect other NNTP clients capable
of such AI feats?

I'm not "hiding from you".

We've been over that before. Nymshifting *is* hiding. Nymshifting and
content are distinct from each other, just like farting when entering
someone else's car doesn't excuse you after giving the driver a gift.
They might ignore the offense, but it is an offense. Pick a Usenet
identity, or go away despite your ego stroking to supply unsolicited
help.

I change nothing but the headers. Hence, if you
can't figure out who I am in less than about ten seconds based on what I write and how I write it ...

Oh yes, AI has infiltrated NNTP clients, so they can all parse and
analyze your content. Uh huh. No filters can identify you by your
style or content, only by specific words in the body (and some NNTP
clients doesn't even have filters with conditions that can look inside
the body of posts).

If you have no understanding of privacy, ...

Don't participate in Usenet if you are extremely paranoid regarding your privacy. Establish a Usnet identity. That does NOT mandate you divulge
your personal identity. You think my parents name me VanguardLH?

So, every year, we have to update our nymshifter filters to account for
your repeated nymshifting. And that is after we start to recognize your content as typical of your prior nyms.

So, how many nyms have you used, so far? What was your prior one? How
many have you used in the last year? Over all years you've been
nymshifting? If you are indeed not hiding then you won't mind divulging
your prior nyms.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Happy New Year. It's January 1st. I'm changing the moniker on my accounts

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

[...]

If you have no understanding of privacy, ...

Don't participate in Usenet if you are extremely paranoid regarding your privacy. Establish a Usnet identity. That does NOT mandate you divulge
your personal identity. You think my parents name me VanguardLH?

Exactly! With a fixed nym, one can have perfect privacy. And 'even'
someone like me, with a rather uncommon last name, can have perfect
privacy if (s)he so chooses.

I think our resident paranoid [1] would be very hard pressed to come
up with any private information about me (other than the country I live
in, that I'm married and have kids, exactly the same information as we
have about him (and his age)).

So, every year, we have to update our nymshifter filters to account for
your repeated nymshifting. And that is after we start to recognize your content as typical of your prior nyms.

Not just every year, but also during the year. As I wrote, during the
last year, he nym/address-shifted at least six more times.

So, how many nyms have you used, so far?

About 110, of which about 75 in the last five and a half years.

What was your prior one? How
many have you used in the last year? Over all years you've been
nymshifting? If you are indeed not hiding then you won't mind divulging
your prior nyms.

[1] 'paranoid' is too mild, it's grandstanding, ego stroking, etc., etc.
ad infinitum.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Happy New Year. It's January 1st. I'm changing the moniker on my accounts

Frank Slootweg wrote:

Don't participate in Usenet if you are extremely paranoid regarding your
privacy. Establish a Usnet identity. That does NOT mandate you divulge
your personal identity. You think my parents name me VanguardLH?

Exactly! With a fixed nym, one can have perfect privacy. And 'even'
someone like me, with a rather uncommon last name, can have perfect
privacy if (s)he so chooses.

It's pretty simple.

Lack of awareness does not mean lack of surveillance.

Keeping in mind how highly educated I am in a variety of fields, one of
which is computer science (via my engineering and science degrees) I was
well aware of what I call "aggregators" decades before today's posting.

I actually used to post using my real name, if you can believe that.
But I stopped that when I was informed how dangerous that was to privacy.

The person who informed me worked for Google in the early days, well before they became what they are now - and whom I trusted in every respect to know what Google was up to in those early days when even Dogpile still existed.

But even with the unfortunate fact that I used to post with my real name
and real email, you would all agree I've been on Usenet for decades, right?

And you must agree I've provided my general location for years, right?

And some of you may agree I've been on web forums for the same decades.
I've posted pictures of my homes, my pools, my horses, my stables, etc.

I've posted pictures of my vehicles (as I'm renown on auto forums).
I've posted screenshots of my iPads, iPhones, and Android devices too.

Because I care to LEARN about things and to teach others, I am prolific.
And unique in the tremendous amount of details in my posts.

And I don't bother to change that I write with (hopefully) impeccable
grammar and word choice (although I used "hopefully" incorrectly there).

So anyone who cared to could "track me" down to my very bedroom if they
really cared to (and if they expended the requisite resources to do so).

But guess what.
It's even easier to correlate all my posts, not by the gift of the body,
but by the mere meaningless wrapping paper in the Usenet headers.

I would claim it's trivial to track every post by the headers.
If the headers are consistent.

I also am a student of history where the point is simple. You do not need
to know you are being tracked in order to take steps to reduce tracking.

History shows that entire countries have been monitored without their knowledge. Examples include the ECHELON program that intercepted
communications of allied nations, the tapping of German leadership phones,
and bulk interception programs run by intelligence agencies that were not disclosed for years.

These cases make one thing clear which is that the lack of awareness does
not mean lack of surveillance. People, groups, and even governments often
learn about monitoring only long after it has happened. Taking basic
privacy steps before the fact is not paranoia. It is normal self protection
in a public communications system like Usenet.
--
Those who don't understand privacy will never understand why you want it.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: Happy New Year. It's January 1st. I'm changing the moniker on my accounts

VanguardLH wrote:

Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

Every January 1st, I change the moniker on many of my accounts for privacy. >>
The rest of the headers are completely random from dictionary lookups
(as my "newsreader" is actually a bunch of scripts using telnet & gVim).

Hmm, are your scripts smart enough to incorporate AI to the extent
available to parse and analyze the content of articles you retrieve from
the NNTP server? Nope, so why do you expect other NNTP clients capable
of such AI feats?

I'm not "hiding from you".

We've been over that before. Nymshifting *is* hiding. Nymshifting and content are distinct from each other, just like farting when entering
someone else's car doesn't excuse you after giving the driver a gift.
They might ignore the offense, but it is an offense. Pick a Usenet
identity, or go away despite your ego stroking to supply unsolicited
help.

I change nothing but the headers. Hence, if you
can't figure out who I am in less than about ten seconds based on what I
write and how I write it ...

Oh yes, AI has infiltrated NNTP clients, so they can all parse and
analyze your content. Uh huh. No filters can identify you by your
style or content, only by specific words in the body (and some NNTP
clients doesn't even have filters with conditions that can look inside
the body of posts).

If you have no understanding of privacy, ...

Don't participate in Usenet if you are extremely paranoid regarding your privacy. Establish a Usnet identity. That does NOT mandate you divulge
your personal identity. You think my parents name me VanguardLH?

So, every year, we have to update our nymshifter filters to account for
your repeated nymshifting. And that is after we start to recognize your content as typical of your prior nyms.

So, how many nyms have you used, so far? What was your prior one? How
many have you used in the last year? Over all years you've been
nymshifting? If you are indeed not hiding then you won't mind divulging
your prior nyms.

Hi VanguardLH (previously known as just Vanguard)

This is a long detailed well-thought out respectful response, where I'm
already well aware that you, of all people, can handle a detailed reply. :)

I appreciate your questions, and I've known you for years (via Usenet) from your previous nym (Vanguard without the LH), so I am aware that you're a helpful person who does out of his way to explain things to people on
Usenet.

You are like I am, in fact, in that you go well out of your way to help
them, which I do very much appreciate, although we differ greatly in other
ways (as I don't make decisions as quickly as you do, for one example).

It seems to me, after studying your responses for years, that you are like Mayayana/Newana and John Gilliver/JP Gilliver and others, in that your Myers-Briggs is highly "N" and strongly "J" if you know about MB scales.

I'm balanced on the "N/S" and very strong on the "P" so the way we approach decisions using strongly held beliefs is, in my opinion, vastly different.

In my estimation (which could be wrong as it's based only on my
interpretation of your many posts to help people) is that you have strongly held beliefs that aren't necessarily based on a wide variety of facts.

You, and those like you, often hold VERY STRONG beliefs, based on VERY FEW facts, which is vastly different than I am since I use VERY MANY facts
before I bother to hold a very strong opinion on anything.

Given what I feel is your propensity to hold strongly held beliefs on very
few facts, I perfectly well understand all your comments above, as they fit that mold perfectly. And you're not wrong as it's your own belief system.

But what you need to do is be a bit more "P" and a bit less "J" when you
tell me what you think I should do, as what you think I should do is what
you would do - but you don't base that on the same data that I do. Nor do
you give each datapoint the same weight that I do. We're different.

So that long-winded opening above is simply to say that I respect you, and
I applaud your attention to helping people but we do think very
differently. A decision YOU would make may be different than one I would
make, even if we're both given the same input conditions.

To that end, you keep repeating your strongly held belief system that nymshifting is "hiding" from YOU (even as only a fool wouldn't know my
posts in ten seconds); but you apparently ignore the context I have stated
for decades which is that I change the wrapping paper but not the gift
as a basic privacy measure. It is not aimed at you or anyone here.
It is aimed at automated profiling by outsiders who mine long term
posting histories. That is a normal and documented privacy risk.

You also keep insisting that if I change a nym then no one can recognize
me. Yet you admit that you identify my content anyway. That proves my
point. Regulars can recognize style and subject matter. Changing a nym
does not hide anything from humans who have been reading me for years.

I haven't changed my location. I haven't changed my device.
I use the same screenshots. I have the same attitude toward privacy.

Hence, your analogy about "offense" does not fit. Usenet does not require
a fixed identity in the wrapping paper. It never has. Many long time users rotate nyms for privacy or compartmentalization. You did it for some
reason. Mayayana did it. JP Gilliver did it. Plenty of people do it.

That is not an attack on anyone. It is a choice about how to manage
exposure on a public medium.

You ask how many nyms I have used. The answer is the same as always. I
rotate randomly. I have said that openly for decades. The fact that
you can still recognize my writing shows that I am not hiding from the
group. I am reducing the amount of long term metadata that can be tied
to a single string.

You are free to maintain filters if you want. That is your choice. My
choice is to practice basic privacy hygiene on a medium where everything
is archived forever. That does not require your approval.

I respect you. And I learn from you. And you can learn from me.

I hope therefore that you understand that I make different strongly held decisions than you do, perhaps with the same data, but do realize I am a student of history where I'm well aware that history is full of people
who were tracked without knowing it, like Angela Merkel, Martin Luther King
Jr, and John Lennon, which shows you do not need to know you are being
tracked before taking steps to reduce it.
--
The people who understand privacy do proactive things to protect it.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)