‘I Failed Terribly at Keeping My Identity Secret’: Scott Alexander on the Value of Pseudonymity

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# ‘I Failed Terribly at Keeping My Identity Secret’: Scott Alexander on the Value of Pseudonymity

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Benjamin Powers

Updated July 1, 20207 min read

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What’s in a name? The power to render someone mute.

Last week, Scott Alexander, the author of the influential rationalist blog Slate Star Codex (SSC), [abruptly shut down (perhaps temporarily) his blog](https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/06/22/nyt-is-threatening-my-safety-by-revealing-my-real-name-so-i-am-deleting-the-blog/) in advance of a New York Times (NYT) story on him and SSC that would include his real name. “Scott Alexander” is the pseudonym he has written under for years. As a practicing psychiatrist, he said, what amounts to “doxxing” him would damage his livelihood. In addition to professional repercussions, Alexander said in his final blog post explaining the situation that:

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“..\[S\]ome people want to kill me or ruin my life, and I would prefer not to make it too easy. I’ve received various death threats. I had someone on an anti-psychiatry subreddit put out a bounty for any information that could take me down..”

**Related:** [The IRS Wants to Know More About Privacy-Enhancing Crypto Coins, Tools](https://www.coindesk.com/the-irs-wants-to-know-more-about-privacy-enhancing-crypto-coins-tools)

The NYT decision was based on a strict “real name” policy, Alexander wrote.

The situation angered the blog’s fans, but also raises larger questions as to whether and when journalists should respect pseudonyms, who qualifies as a public figure and the impact reporting has on those who do not.

**_See also:_** [**_Why CoinDesk Respects Pseudonymity: A Stand Against Doxxing_**](https://w

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