Overview of recent username changes in Bitcointalk

[ibminer]

Then, check the field after "To:" on the new message you're sending.

This didn't work for me. "To:" just has the new username... did something change?

I bet this guy is like "heeeyyy wtf!" 

[1713553335]

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[1713553335]

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[1713553335]

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[1713553335]

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[TryNinja]

Then, check the field after "To:" on the new message you're sending.

This didn't work for me. "To:" just has the new username... did something change?

I bet this guy is like "heeeyyy wtf!"  

My guess is that this only works when only the display name was changed.

If you do the above with Murat (old iwantapony) it works (only display name changed - for appearance reasons). But if you do with mk4 (old mjglkw) it doens’t work (both display and login name changed - for privacy reasons).

Some context about the privacy/appearance name change reasons: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5216451.msg53569598#msg53569598

[TheNewAnon135246]

Killyou72 just sounds much better off the tongue, amirite??

He will be forever known as Killyou72 (or Killyou73) .

[TalkStar]

I am little bit surprised after seeing that some of our community user have changed their old username and put new one. I don't think that its was an wise decision for them and hopefully many others will be agree with me. In bitcointalk there is millions of users but personally i don't know all one by one and its not possible for anyone too but some names have been saved on my memory because of two reason.

No 1: I know some best contributors for their unforgettable contribution and hard work for the forum. In this criteria i prefer to accept scam busters, quality posters, donators, default trusted members, campaign managers and some more extraordinary people. Wherever i see their name it remind me their working background and obviously their contribution too. So definitely i can say that my thinking creates with their username not with the real person behind that account.

No 2: After seeing some username i can easily recognize proven scammers, spammers, loan defaulters, account sellers and many more people who are connected with fraudulent activities. Its because there is open scam accusation against them and my memory saved their username as bad guys. So in this part same as past i don't know their real identity but their username is pushing my mind to invent their working background.

In conclusion i wanna say that it doesn't matter if you have a weird username or bad looking one but it really matters how community users are connected with your old username. Yeah maybe you can get new one but definitely that will not give you the respect or acceptance like old one. Your username is the symbol of your past doings.      

[El duderino_]

Then, check the field after "To:" on the new message you're sending.

This didn't work for me. "To:" just has the new username... did something change?

I bet this guy is like "heeeyyy wtf!" 

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1302818
^
or that guy 

Probably we all just love Lebowski or the dude or duder or his dudeness or just "El duderino"

[erikalui]

I also spoke to one user who changed his username recently "Murat" and when he said he worked with me earlier, I was surprised that he could change as earlier this option was available on to few users.

But for trusted and reputed users, it can turn confusing especially if they are escrows and traders as to find out their old username would be very tough. It's better if Theymos later adds a feature where you can find the old username (or have it displayed below the new username).

[suchmoon]

But for trusted and reputed users, it can turn confusing especially if they are escrows and traders as to find out their old username would be very tough. It's better if Theymos later adds a feature where you can find the old username (or have it displayed below the new username).

If users want their old username known they can put it into their personal text under the avatar and carry it there for a few months. That's what I would do if I ever decide to change my username (yes, I realize some asshole will try to impersonate me now).

[ibminer]

or that guy  

Bah, who cares what that guy thinks?     The other guy is a full member who seemed more recently active but I guess he's not that active *shrug* a username is a username, just wouldn't want anyone attempting an impersonation on you later on and people getting confused. One can hope people aren't that stupid but.. well.. people have fallen for these things before. The guy seems legitimate enough not to do that though.

I do like the name though, who doesn't like the big lebowski??  It's a classic!  

I'm thinking it's time for me to change my name to IBJesus. Nobody fucks with the Jesus. And I feel like I've been fucked with a bit recently, so it might work out for me lol.

edit:

For April 1st, we should get theymos to exchange our usernames I'm curious if anyone would even notice.

Hah!  Or, reverse all display names.  renimbi   VecyoL    noomhcus   _onireduD lE     ratSklaT    <-- these would drive me crazy for the day  

[LoyceV]

If users want their old username known they can put it into their personal text under the avatar and carry it there for a few months. That's what I would do if I ever decide to change my username (yes, I realize some asshole will try to impersonate me now).

For April 1st, we should get theymos to exchange our usernames I'm curious if anyone would even notice.

[suchmoon]

Hah!  Or, reverse all display names.  renimbi   VecyoL    noomhcus   _onireduD lE     ratSklaT    <-- these would drive me crazy for the day  

This gives an unfair advantage to the junior member of the cycling club.

[El duderino_]

But for trusted and reputed users, it can turn confusing especially if they are escrows and traders as to find out their old username would be very tough. It's better if Theymos later adds a feature where you can find the old username (or have it displayed below the new username).

If users want their old username known they can put it into their personal text under the avatar and carry it there for a few months. That's what I would do if I ever decide to change my username (yes, I realize some asshole will try to impersonate me now).

This make sense, if that user wishes to do so....

[Bttzed03]

Anyways, the account registered by @asu under micgoossens username is autobanned by some logical mod around.~

The other old usernames should be retired also. They shouldn't be used again.

[asu]

The other old usernames should be retired also. They shouldn't be used again.

Other old usernames can't be use to register again and while others can be (case to case basis). It all just comes down to their reason why.

Each user has a display name, which is the only name ordinary users see, and a username, which is what you use to log-in with. Almost always, they are the same.

If I change a name for reasons of appearance, then I only change the display name. The username remains reserved, the user can still login using the username, PMs can still be sent to that username, "search member" allows searching for the old username, etc.

If I change a name for reasons of privacy, then I change both the username and the display name. In this case, it is possibly hazardous to reserve the old username, since it allows someone to test for the existence of that username, possibly defeating the privacy benefit. If you're worried about being impersonated, then simply don't seek to have your username changed.

[Bttzed03]

The other old usernames should be retired also. They shouldn't be used again.

Other old usernames can't be use to register again and while others can be (case to case basis). It all just comes down to their reason why.

Each user has a display name, which is the only name ordinary users see, and a username, which is what you use to log-in with. Almost always, they are the same.

If I change a name for reasons of appearance, then I only change the display name. The username remains reserved, the user can still login using the username, PMs can still be sent to that username, "search member" allows searching for the old username, etc.

If I change a name for reasons of privacy, then I change both the username and the display name. In this case, it is possibly hazardous to reserve the old username, since it allows someone to test for the existence of that username, possibly defeating the privacy benefit. If you're worried about being impersonated, then simply don't seek to have your username changed.

I missed that thread but I was actually thinking about retiring usernames of those who changed for privacy reasons.

[arbiter5]

Seriously. Some of these name changers might have done some bad opsec in the past hence why they need to change their username, but why shine the spotlight on them? It completely defeats the purpose. While it's still going to be really possible to affiliate them to their old usernames through their past posts, still. Shining the spotlight on them just makes it a lot easier for doxxing.

As long as they didn't do anything wrong in the past, I don't have anything against their decisions. I mean, privacy is one of the things us bitcoiners are fighting for right? Then what the fuck is this? Bullshit is what this is.

[erikalui]

^^
I feel this thread was made mainly because that most of the users are trustworthy and one whom I know is a bounty manager and hence, it is confusing when these users with new usernames contact anyone and say I was earlier that user and them conducting a research to know if they are telling the truth. I don't get the privacy thing as they can still be identified having only changed their display names. One user seemed to have changed their username to make it look better and professional not for privacy reasons while others no clue.

I guess OP's title should be changed to "display name" instead of "username" as usernames have not changed.

[theymos]

Why are you guys posting the old names of people who clearly needed their names changed for privacy reasons? Obviously any data posted online is going to be quickly archived somewhere, but that doesn't mean that your highlighting/reposting of it has no effect. In some cases you may literally be putting lives in danger. If you were investigating a scam or something, that'd be different, but you seem to just be indiscriminately & recklessly dredging up data that would best be forgotten.

I'm almost certain that most name changes aren't done to hide who they are.

Privacy is the top reason for me agreeing to a name change. It's just not often done for well-known users, and I don't announce it.

there will always be quotes off your old name.

When a name is changed for privacy reasons, I sometimes partially or completely fix that. I consider quotes of the form [quote author=... link=topic=... to be fixable; other quotes are not.

Plus trust feedback and flags don't change, so what's the point in doing that?

 - If it looks like there's much chance that a scam case will be opened against someone, then I won't change their name to begin with.
 - Flags/feedback most often don't exist for users whose names I change
 - The Trust system is intentionally not accessible to search engines.
 - Trust ratings don't usually mention a user's original name or other sensitive details.

[Quickseller]

Why are you guys posting the old names of people who clearly needed their names changed for privacy reasons? Obviously any data posted online is going to be quickly archived somewhere, but that doesn't mean that your highlighting/reposting of it has no effect. In some cases you may literally be putting lives in danger. If you were investigating a scam or something, that'd be different, but you seem to just be indiscriminately & recklessly dredging up data that would best be forgotten.

This is precisely what happens when you allow users to what amounts to spy on forum members. There is a job posting on Facebook (working for the company) for someone whose job it is to detect and stop scraping. I have been told this person would be on a fairly large team/group of people who have similar responsibilities. Other social media platforms have similar roles and all have policies prohibiting scraping (often being defined as non-human, or inauthentic or similar).

There should be a balance between allowing everyone to do whatever they want and having minor regulations, while empathizing the need for regulations to be minimally burdensome/costly, while providing a real benefit to the community as a whole that it cannot otherwise realize.

Who knows how much additional data certain people has on forum users, probably a decent amount, and probably enough to make a lot of people uncomfortable if they knew exactly what was being collected on them by third parties, even if the information is “public”.  

[hacker1001101001]

Who knows how much additional data certain people has on forum users, probably a decent amount, and probably enough to make a lot of people uncomfortable if they knew exactly what was being collected on them by third parties, even if the information is “public”.  

I am sure if it continues this way one day it would be out of theymos hand's to control the amount of misuse of this data, as it is already been violating the main reason behind the implementations of some systems like trust list for example, mostly it begin as being something very private for users to make there own judgement but making it public just induced more drama. Even merit sources which were to be hidden for not being bitched for merits are now easily accessible to anyone who wants to hunt some.

If the this type of excessive scraping would not be curbed or handled now, than it would already be too late.

[AB de Royse777]

I was almost giving up on this thread. I have email notification on but I was thinking to disable it so that I do not need to receive the email notification of the same posts posted by users with argumens. Some are in favour of documenting the changes and some are against it. The conversation can keep going and the thread gets bumped and search engine keeps caching it.

Those users who changed their names for privacy reasons, are now not really feeling the same I guess. In this forum users are making thousands of topics a day, how many of them we all notice dispite all of them are public but if we pick one of these topics and highlight it in somewhere like it's done for usernames in this topic, then it's easily discoverable. This topic actually doing the job of destroying the intentions some of those users had as their reasons behind changing their names.

I am glad that theymos has spoken out. And since theymos involved in this conversation, I would like him to consider deleting the entire thread so that in futures any with bad deed at least do not find everything in one place (in this thread). There are differences in between looking all over the place to find something (which in some cases turns out impossible) and finding something in one place (documented) very easily.

Everyone has their own views of this proposal of deleting this enture thread, even people can say that deleting this topic will mean that theymos in implying his power of position to control the voice of the users but really shell we say thst? Privacy should be the first thing we should count here. And every users has this right to practice their privacy. if a forum inspired with bitcoin idiology can not ensure it then it's sad.