How to disappear completely

[Shogun2000]

I know that we've had some discussions in the past around security & privacy; the recent thread about arrests & convictions comes to mind.

I came across this article recently about how to "disappear" completely.

It's very scary what type of publicly available information is out there. While we may not have a need to completely disappear, there may be a need to make sure that very little personally identifiable information is in the public domain.

http://www.csoonline.com/article/print/681282

How to disappear completely

Almost everyone has a digital footprint these days. Think you could remove your tracks? Former skip tracer Frank Ahearn helps folks drop off the face of the Earth.

In a world where we share more information online than ever before, it might seem impossible to disappear completely. But Frank Ahearn can help. A professional skip tracer for many years, he tracked down 'missing' persons for clients who were searching for them for legal or financial reasons. His arsenal included use of public records, credit reports, utility bills, criminal background checks, tax information and other revealing documents.

But these days, Ahearn assists people who want to go the other way—those who want to disappear and erase evidence of their existence. In his book How to Disappear: Erase Your Digital Footprint, Leave False Trails, and Vanish without a Trace, Ahearn details some of the tricks he uses when helping clients "get off the grid," as he refers to it, and shares tips for those concerned about information and privacy in this digital-sharing era. And while he refuses to assist people looking to get lost for illegal purposes, he says they often do come looking for help and advice on strategically manipulating information in the wrong direction.

[KCQuestor]

There was a good article in Wired Magazine a couple of years ago about the difficulty in truly disappearing.

http://www.wired.com/vanish/2009/08/...lly-disappear/

They even ran a contest where a writer tried to disappear, and offered a $5000 reward for anyone who could track him down.

http://www.wired.com/vanish/2009/11/...ish2/#more-859

It is an entertaining read.

[Shogun2000]

KCQ - I remember that article and agree that it is a very interesting read.

Pretty interesting how hard it is to really go "off the grid". Bin Laden tried to do that and, even though it took several years, he was eventually tracked down.

[bartipero]

Originally Posted by Shogun2000

KCQ - I remember that article and agree that it is a very interesting read.

Pretty interesting how hard it is to really go "off the grid". Bin Laden tried to do that and, even though it took several years, he was eventually tracked down.

......and then he met the Navy Seals:


I'll go to Cowtown
I'll dance around
Board up your windows
The big boy's in town
Big Ball's in Cowtown
We'll all go down
Big Ball's in Cowtown
We'll dance around

Put on your new shoes
Put on your gown
Shake off them sad blues
The Big Ball's in town
Big Ball's in Cowtown
We'll all go down
Big Ball's in Cowtown
We'll dance around


Everybody's smilin'
You can't find a frown
(Ah)
The girls are all happy
Cause the Big Ball's in town
(That's right)
Big Ball's in Cowtown
We'll all go down
Big Ball's in Cowtown
Yeah, yeah Big Ball's in town

(Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys)

[KCJoe]

Why would you want to disappear? Unless you are a criminal, you've really got nothing to run from. Not counting ex-wives or crazy girlfriends. And if you are a criminal, pay your debt to society and move on.

[Enchanterlingum]

I realize I'm a little late to the party, but Edmund Pankau put out a pretty good book about just this about 15 years ago. I still have mine.

Bottom line, there are countries in which you can buy citizenship in any name you choose, and with that visa, you just become that new person.

[Sens55]

Sounds like what happens if you join the French Foreign Legion. I came damn close to joining once...