Pierre Delecto, QAnon and the Paradox of Anonymity
In 2019, it’s somehow both easier and harder than ever to be anonymous.
By Charlie Warzel, Oct. 29, 2019
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about Pierre Delecto. Pierre isn’t a real person — he’s the fake persona made up by Senator Mitt Romney for his secret Twitter account, which was recently uncovered after some expert forensic work by Slate’s Ashley Feinberg.
Anonymity online is nothing new — arguably it’s a newer concept to browse the internet and comment under your real name, rather than use a screen name or pseudonymous avatar. And there’s plenty of historical precedent for powerful politicians hiding behind names — from Carlos Danger back to Samuel Adams’s 25 pseudonyms, including the super-metal name Vindex the Avenger.
But Pierre’s outing comes at a contentious time for privacy and anonymity. At present, unknown individuals are having an outsize impact on politics. Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry is a result of the testimony of an anonymous whistle-blower; the next highly anticipated political book is an account of the Trump White House written by the anonymous author of the 2018 Times Op-Ed “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” Head to a Trump rally or a fringe online community and you’re likely to stumble upon devoted fans of QAnon, the cultish conspiracy plot. QAnon is two years old this week, and despite numerous debunkings and false prophecies, the chatter continues. Online, journalists and political campaigns fend off anonymous trolls posing as real citizens. Hashtags are hijacked, discourse is poisoned — all by faceless figures....
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/opinion/pierre-delecto-qanon-anonymous-anonymity.html