[Fwd: hggdh2 deactivated by matthew.revell]

[HggdH]

On Sun, 2008-02-24 at 10:11 -0700, Neal McBurnett wrote:

> 
> In that thread last year Steve Alexander of Canonical and Launchpad
> wrote some things I think are helpful contributions.
> 
> https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/launchpad-users/2007-May/001494.html :
> 
> > I think it's fine to use a made-up name, so long as it is your own
> > made-up name, and you're not trying to mislead people through using
> > it.
> > ....
> > You can use GPG, and be part of the web of trust, without directly
> > revealing your real name.
> 
> For example he notes that you can establish a PGP key with your
> pseudonym, and sign it with a real-name key of your own in order to
> get it into the web of trust.  I'd note that you can also get
> signatures from others who are willing.

Well, yes, sort of. If I sign my GPG key with my real name, anyone
knowing a bit of GPG can find who I am:

hggdh at xango2:~ $ gpg --list-keys hggdh
pub   1024D/CA5A0C20 2005-02-20
uid                  hggdh <hggdh2 at gmail.com>
sub   2048g/9FE70BB9 2005-02-20

pub   1024D/86FBC5FF 2003-12-07
uid                  hggdh <hggdh at comcast.net>
sub   1792g/D3DC3531 2003-12-07

Of course, I might have others signing my key -- but, still, now the
universe is much more restricted -- usually, no more than 5 persons
would sign a key -- otherwise it will get monstrously big.

In other words: if I do it this way, I can pretty much go and use my
real name. Or believe that all others here are extremely ignorant, which
I really doubt.

Having others sign the key would be an option, though. It may still be
difficult -- for the Ubuntu community, for example, I do not know of
many living near where I live; I could get one to sign it (small
chance), but I would have to trust this person not to tell others who am
I (perhaps even smaller chance -- here we go again on "trust").

These approaches all fail on one point: the requirement that a real name
be given on a virtual community, without any real need but the whim of
someone in power.
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