What to check before choosing a username for an anonymous account
Check reuse, personal information, search results, platform behavior, and old-name traces before choosing an anonymous username.
A username is the entrance to an anonymous account.
Once used, it remains in posts, URLs, screenshots, search results, and quotations. Even if you change it later, the old name may remain somewhere.
It is better not to decide the username for an anonymous account based only on how it looks.
Check whether it connects to your past self, real-name accounts, hobbies, region, birthday, or email address.
Reuse is dangerous
The most dangerous pattern is reusing a name you used in the past.
If you reuse a game ID, social media ID, blog name, message-board handle, or part of an email address, past information can be found through search.
| Reuse | What it connects to |
|---|---|
| Old handle | Past social media, blogs, message boards |
| Game ID | Friends, play history, VC (voice chat) records |
| Part of an email address | Registration history and leaked information |
| Part of a real name | You, your school, or your workplace |
| Old icon name | Image search and profiles |
An anonymous name needs to be separated from your past self.
Do not include personal information
Do not put information that indicates you into the username.
This includes your real name, birthday, where you live, school, occupation, family names, names of shops you often visit, and favorite local words.
| Information people tend to include | Risk |
|---|---|
| Birthday | Moves closer to age or identity-verification information |
| Region name | Reveals usual places |
| Occupation name | Narrows workplace candidates |
| School name | Reveals affiliation and age range |
| Family or pet name | Connects to personal accounts |
Even a string that feels casual to you may be understandable to someone who knows you.
Do not put too much hobby or ideology into it
With an anonymous account, you may want to put hobbies or views into the username.
That is not bad in itself. However, if it is too specific, it narrows the image of the person. Rare hobbies, names of local groups, fields of expertise, and words close to an occupation become strong clues when combined with other posts.
| Element included in the name | Caution |
|---|---|
| Rare hobby | Easier for past accounts or acquaintances to notice |
| Field of expertise | Occupation or affiliation may be inferred |
| Region name | Usual places or activity range become visible |
| Word close to a group name | Related people or activity area narrows |
| Inside term | Acquaintances understand the meaning |
An anonymous name should be easy to remember, but risk is lower if it does not explain the person too much.
Search before deciding
Search a candidate name before using it.
Check where the same name or similar names appear in search engines, social media search, and image search.
However, the search itself may also be recorded by external services. Searches while logged in, searches from the real-name environment, and searches that combine unpublished unique information can become new clues. For high-risk candidate names, choose search terms and environments carefully.
| Check | What to look at |
|---|---|
| Exact-match search | Whether existing accounts or past posts appear |
| Partial-match search | Whether similar names are close to you |
| Social media search | Whether same-name users or past use exist |
| Image search | Whether icons or names are connected to images |
| Other-language notation | Whether romanization, kana, or abbreviations connect |
If the candidate name already connects to your past information, choose another name.
Be careful with behavior immediately after creating it
Even if you choose a name that seems low risk, correlation is created by behavior immediately after creation.
If you immediately follow acquaintances from your real-name account, write the same profile text, post the same things as the real-name side, or move back and forth at the same times, the meaning of separating the username becomes weaker.
| Action immediately after creation | What happens | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Follow acquaintances | Relationships become visible | Do not bring in real-name-side relationships |
| Write the same bio | Writing style and background overlap | Write a new one |
| Use the same image | Connects through image search | Use a new image |
| Post at the same time as the real-name side | Time correlation appears | Separate operating times |
A username is an entrance.
Even if you separate the entrance, anonymity becomes weaker if the first actions create the same link to the real-name side.
Differences between platforms
How usernames are visible differs by service.
Some services change only the display name, while others leave the username in the URL. In some cases, past username change history is visible from outside, or old names remain in search results.
| Item | What to check |
|---|---|
| URL | Whether the username appears in the URL |
| Change history | Whether past names are visible |
| Search results | Whether old names remain |
| Display name and ID | Whether the ID remains even if only the display name changes |
| Tagging | Whether old names remain in other people's posts |
Thinking "I can change it later" is dangerous.
Choose the first name on the assumption that it will remain for a long time.
Old names remain even after changes
Even if you change a username, the old name is not always completely removed.
It can remain in other people's quotations, screenshots, search results, notifications, URLs, tagging, and archives.
| Place where it remains | Reason | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Search results | Reflection takes time | Do not assume it disappears immediately |
| Quotations and replies | It remains in other people's posts | You cannot remove it yourself |
| Screenshots | It is saved | It can spread later |
| URL | The old ID may be included | Check the service specification |
| Archive | Past pages are saved | A removal request may be needed |
An anonymous name is not something to decide casually because it can be changed.
Think about whether it would be a problem if the first name remained for a long time.
Do not feel safe from the name alone
Even with a safe-looking username, post content can connect you.
Even if you change the name, using the same image, same writing style, same posting times, and same topics creates correlation.
| Correlation other than the name | Caution |
|---|---|
| Profile image | Do not use the same image as a past account |
| Bio text | Do not use the same phrasing |
| Post content | Do not reveal too much about usual places, routines, or workplace |
| Posting time | Do not keep the same rhythm as the real-name account |
| Follow relationships | Do not connect to personal acquaintances |
A username is an entrance, but it is not all of anonymity.
How to choose a candidate name
When creating a username that lowers risk, make it a string separated from your past self.
The basics are these four: do not give it too much meaning, do not include personal information, do not reuse it on other services, and search before using it.
| Policy | Reason |
|---|---|
| Separate it from past IDs | Avoid connection to old accounts |
| Do not include personal information | Avoid inference by acquaintances or search |
| Do not reuse it | Avoid correlation across multiple services |
| Search before using it | Check collision with existing information |
| Assume long-term use | Old names remain even after changes |
A username is the first design decision in anonymous practice.
Summary
Check the username for an anonymous account before using it.
If you reuse an old handle, game ID, part of an email address, part of a real name, region, or birthday, it connects to past information.
Check candidate names with search engines and social media search.
However, anonymity is not protected just by changing the name.
Separate images, writing style, posting times, topics, and follow relationships as well.
Even after deciding a name, periodically check which posts and images that name is becoming connected to.
Especially when anonymous activity becomes long term, the post history accumulated under that name creates a picture of the person more than the name itself does.
Related tools
Wayback Machine
An external resource related to this article. Open it only when it fits your situation and threat model.
Why it is listed: It can help with the article topic, but it is outside Anonymity Sense and should be checked before use.
URL : https://web.archive.org/
Google Search removal tools
An external resource related to this article. Open it only when it fits your situation and threat model.
Why it is listed: It can help with the article topic, but it is outside Anonymity Sense and should be checked before use.
OSINT Framework
An external resource related to this article. Open it only when it fits your situation and threat model.
Why it is listed: It can help with the article topic, but it is outside Anonymity Sense and should be checked before use.
Have I Been Pwned
An external resource related to this article. Open it only when it fits your situation and threat model.
Why it is listed: It can help with the article topic, but it is outside Anonymity Sense and should be checked before use.