Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach
Why do people not sign their own names to what they write on the internet, and in particular on this blog? I thought I’d ask people this in the form of an anonymous poll. But before I do that, I want to get the full range of possibilities, so I’ve decided to crowdsource the poll questions. To date I have a number of possible reasons someone might give for posting anonymously, which are not mutually exclusive.
Here’s the first cut of possible reasons why someone might post anonymously:
- I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble at my work.
- I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble at home or with my family.
- I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble with my friends and acquaintances.
- I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble at my school or university.
- I’m posting from a country which discourages freedom of speech.
- I’m concerned that someone will take violent exception to my views about climate and threaten me or my family.
- I feel more comfortable posting anonymously, but I’m not sure why.
- I’m concerned about putting any personal information about myself on the web for any reason.
- I find it easier to express negative views when I post anonymously.
- I’m posting from work on company time, or the equivalent (e.g. posting when I’m supposed to be studying).
- I don’t want people to be able to research my previous statements.
Now, my questions about all of this are:
- What else would be another reason that someone might have, that should be listed on the poll?
- What other questions (age, sex, etc.) would it be useful to know?
- How about the wording of the questions? Is it neutral, is it biased?
- Order of the questions? Which ones first, which ones last?
Many thanks for your contributions, the relevant ones will be included in the poll.
w.
PS – Please be clear that I’m interested in possible reasons people might post anonymously on WUWT, not a justification or an argument for or against posting anonymously. This thread is to design the poll, not to debate anonymity.
[UPDATE] Added from the comments, with my thanks. Note that in the poll people will be able to choose more than one response.
- I feel able to express more confident views if those statements aren’t personally attributable to me.
- I’m posting for relaxation – not “publication”.
- Using my real name is just asking for ad hominem attacks.
- I don’t know who might read the post and what they might do with it.
- I don’t wish to disclose my formal qualifications, or lack of them, or that I am in a different field.
- I can say things that I would be embarrassed to say in person.
- I’m lazy.
- I work with people who believe Albert Gore is a scientist.
- I work with clients/customers or in a market where skeptical views are not welcome.
- Metaphorically speaking, I have relatives in the old country …
- To be honest, I also say some pretty stupid things, occasionally, especially when imbibing the suds.
- I am concerned about identity theft.
- It’s a chance to let out my repressed wild and crazy inner personalities.
- Stalking is always a concern to a female.
- I have someone constantly Googling my name.
- It’s traditional since the beginning of the web to have a handle.
- It allows me to “compartmentalize” my opinions on very different subjects.
- I enjoy “trolling”, stirring things up.
- I have worked for oil companies, mining companies or agribusiness and it would likely be held against me.
- I use a moniker because it describes what I am and how I see the world in 3 words.
- I post anonymously for the same reason I do not register a gun.
- Who wants to be responsible for my stupid ramblings when I am involved with Jack Daniels? Not me!
- I am under an implied contract to never make public pronouncement under my name that might in any way embarrass or disadvantage any segment of a multifaceted corporate endeavor / large university / international organization.
- Greenpeace said “We know who you are. We know where you live. We know where you work. And we be many, but you be few.”
- If I posted under my own name, it would be tantamount to expressing my political views to all and sundry and in my industry/job/school would convey a lack of professionalism.
- I am concerned that my age, gender, ethnicity, educational level, etc are factors that can affect the people who read a comment and many of them unfortunately then respond in a biased way.
- I have been attacked for my views.
- It is like putting on a superman suit, you can say anything, be anything and fly anywhere. And if any-one with kryptonite strikes you down, what does it matter, tomorrow you will be Clark Kent.
- To express things I wouldn’t have courage to express otherwise, the same reason many students are hesitant to put their hand up in class.
- I’m not even half as paranoid as I should be.
- I don’t wish for my thoughts and comments from years gone by to turn up whenever someone does a search on my name.
- I enjoy putting forward an identity that says more about me than my name.
- It’s good that no-one on the internet knows if you’re a frog.
- It would be easy to connect up my posts, email address and ultimately my credit cards. Spam and fraud would then follow.
- I don’t want to be associated with my job when posting on technical subjects.
- I am concerned about the UK defamation law.
- In my country you could be targeted by the consensus people.
- I have a common name and use a pseudonym so that I can search for my postings.
- I am concerned it may cost me business/lose me funding.
- I want readers to judge my comments on their content, not their provenance.
- I plan to run for president and want to be able to change my opinions as may be convenient.
- I am pleased to get some protection from the cloud of gnats hovering around the net.
- A future employer might have issues with some of the things I post.
- Didn’t Zorro and the Lone Ranger wear their masks because of things like this?
- I am the sole support of others.
- I’m not British / American, and for an English speaker my name is difficult to remember / sounds weird / carries a silly pun / leads to misunderstandings.
- I think it is fun to call myself by my handle.
- I don’t care.
- My name is the same as a wanted criminal / bad person.
- I don’t want current comments being dredged up in a possible future political campaign.
- I want to maintain plausible deniability.
- Posting anonymously offers an opportunity for crowd-sourced criticism before having my name attached to a bad idea.
- I I do a fair bit of sub-contract work for companies that have bought into the green dream, so I’m invoking my very own version of the … uh … precautionary principle 🙂
- A rabid green has haunted me in other forums.
- I was stalked relentlessly by some creep who decided that it was fun.
Updates to the other questions:
- Would you seriously consider using your real name after a reasonable period of retirement.
- Would you prefer to be able to post under your own name?
- Career
- Age
- Sex
- Location
It has also been correctly noted that I am describing posting pseudonymously, not anonymously.
It strikes me that I haven’t looked at the other side of the equation, why people post under their own name … ah, well, one thing at a time. My own reasons for posting under my own name, in no particular order, would be:
- I want to be able to claim ownership of my ideas.
- I refuse to be intimidated by the dangers of the world.
- I am much better mannered when I have to take responsibility for my words.
- My claims tend to extravagance when I post anonymously.
- I grew up a cowboy, and criticizing someone from behind a mask of anonymity feels like shooting someone from ambush … and a cowboy can’t do that, it’s in the contract, ask Tom Mix.
UPDATES from the comments regarding posting under your own name.
- I am retired, and don’t care if people read what I post.
- I prefer to say what I think and feel anyway without hiding under a cloak.
- I don’t post anonymously because I have a martyr complex.
- I think it is cowardice to post anonymously.
- Because I don’t follow the herd.
- I say what I mean and am terribly honest at it.
- I believe it is simply good manners to identify yourself when talking to people.
- I have no concern about people reading my opinions a decade from now.
- I can’t lie with a straight face.
- I have to stand for what I believe as who I am, otherwise what I say is all posturing.
- I started posting under my real name after making an ass of myself anonymously in a blog comment section.
- Using my name forces me to keep my posts measured and decent.
- I feel uneasy posting anonymously.
- It’s a matter of clarity and honesty.
- If such things as climate change are important we should pony up and admit where we stand.
- I’m confident enough in who I am to not be concerned about what others think of my opinions.
- Since my work is not publicly funded or grant funded, I’m at liberty to say what I wish without concern of losing my job.
- A person of worth will stand up in their own name for what is right and against what is wrong.
- If they want to google my name, they should do it if they don’t have better things to do.
- I have never not posted with my own and real name. Why would I do otherwise?
- I feel free to change my opinion should I have reason to and will defend or dismiss my former opinions accordingly.
- It would be cowardly for me to hide behind an alias.
- A screen name feels like hiding behind a false front.
- I think that in the long view we as a society get along much better when we know each others names.
- If I have too little courage of my own convictions to sign my name to my opinions, why should anyone pay attention?
- I don’t fear professional retribution as most of my peers hold similar views to mine or are just plain disengaged from the topic of global warming.
- It’s a statement that I will not be intimidated.
- I am totally uninterested about what other people think of me.
- I’ve had my own name a long time and have grown attached to it.
- I consider my self responsible for my own opinions.
- If I write something, I’ll stand for it, or I would not write it.
- I dislike anonymity on principle
That’s it to date, I’ll add more as they come up. I must say that I find the variety of reasons much wider and deeper than I had expected. Ain’t life grand?
Indeed, I rather like this process of crowdsourcing the poll questions. It strikes me that this is a kind of appreciative inquiry that could be of use in other contexts where there is a wide variety of opinions.
w.
I prefer to be anonymous for a number of reasons.
Some of it is work related. I had problems at a previous employer for not demonstrating the company values regarding climate change. As a previous poster said, employers will search social network sites and in general, and make hiring decisions based on what they find. My work has very little to do with climate change, but I need a job and I’d prefer not to be rejected because my beliefs conflict with someone who can make or influence a hiring decision. I also post on some other potentially controversial subjects using other pseudonyms for the same reason. I want to keep my work and private life seperate.
Privacy erosion and security. There is no such thing as anonymity on the Internet but providing too much personal information can lead to identity theft, harrassment and sometimes worse.
Curiosity about identity and privacy. This started at Uni when my partner complained she was getting harrassed online. I made a female nick and started getting harrassed as well. Later, I had another partner working on a similar study to the McLeod one looking at online gender identity issues. MMO’s can be an easy way for males to find out how unpleasent sexual harrassment can be. It’s also interesting to see how people can respond to identity cues. “Justin Bieber” turned up in a combat game I play and died rather rapidly. A simple name can generate much emotion, and online identity and privacy is a fascinating subject.
Willis? Can I call ya Willis? I don’t actually post anonymously. Many, many people out in the world know who 2hotel9 is. Some of them even like me!
As for the purpose of this thread, I have to agree with many of the comments above, you should structure your poll so that respondents may pick more than one answer. Different circumstances and situations call for anonymity. With the widespread incidents of identity theft many people are choosing anonymity in their online activities. In political blogging/commenting anonymity is much more common due to the viscous nature of Progressivism and its adherents, and it is a rather double edged blade, often used in what is termed “sockpuppet” posting. Another common tactic from that political quarter is hijacking a person’s name and commenting as them, often in derogatory ways meant to harm that person in their professional or family lives.
This is a rather complicated issue, really, and I can’t wait to see your poll results. Oh, well, guess I do have to wait, don’t I.
Willis, cowboys deserve and get respect, but I think you underestimate the value of a good sniper. I have explained before my pseudonym. Were I to “come out” it would be economic suicide and immediate annihilation, something I cannot afford at this stage in life (I provide my family’s only income).
I would be able to tolerate the other ramifications, but not those affecting my wallet. I reside in an area that shows little tolerance for skeptical views, despite claims from the same bunch that they “celebrate diversity.” There would most certainly be severe economic ramifications for us.
Further, I am involved in several environmental causes and would be made a pariah. I could live with that, but would rather continue the work in which I have been involved for a long time, as to me these causes are quite important (and one of the main reasons I am so against the fanatical AGW distraction).
There is wisdom in maintaining my sniper’s nest: self-preservation when facing an overwhelming number of combatants while still chipping away at their foundation. It’s a win-win. The ivory tower of cards will come ‘a tumbling down. Chip. Chip. Chip.
Big Global Warming has trillions of dollars at stake. We’ve already seen the almost total prostitution of science, and academia, and, in the UK, government. We’ve all observed repeated official whitewashes of scientific corruption, early attempts to control or shut down the Internet, the infamous 10-10 child-snuff video, the Green”peace” we-know-where-you-live threat, failure of the MSM to show our side of the issue. People who are driven to steal by greed often have no moral objection to violence, either. If I had it to do over again, I’d still be pseudonymous. Metaphorically speaking, I have relatives in the old country…
As the warmists also love to denigrate, verbally abuse, and call skeptics names, it is fun to see if they Google a name looking for credentials. If they cannot find any, does that make the science being described any less valid? No. If they cannot locate a name, they gleefully discount everything. You have aright to your own opinion, but not your own facts, unless you are a warmist.
I work with a bunch(90%) lefty’s. They believe Albert Gore is a scientist, and his word is the gospel truth. They talk about visiting WUWT, Real Science, Ice Age Now and others. These so called smart people joke about the postings and comments. Last July 30th when the supervisor pointed out how some of the trees around the plant had leaves turning color earlier than normal these clowns called him just about everything but African American,they received a three day holiday with out pay. Now a days I keep my mouth shut and post to relive the frustration. Thank goodness for spell check.
It’s just a habit, avoiding personal information on the web.
Since I read your personal post where you talked about it I feel uneasy, so I decided the time is right to abandon my shyness.
Love your posts, keep up the excellent job!
Eyal Porat
Israel
In general, I think it is cowardice. Though I can identify with concerns about work, or protecting my family from attack. Look at the threats the “Civil” Left made against Republican senators and their families in Wisconsin. But not giving their names allows cowards to make vicious attacks and use foul language with impunity. So I tend to sign my posts with my name and blog address.
Robert A. Hall
http://www.tartanmarine.blogspot.com
For the people who know me, (as in have personally communicated with me), my signature is enough for them to know it is me as I’ve used it as an abbreviation since High School. When someone calls or writes me and uses my first or last name, alarm bells go off.
For the people who don’t know me, I don’t give a rat’s ass. Except, and this is a very big exception; I view the internet as a massive relatively undeveloped farm. There are companies and individuals out there seeking ways to actively farm, (or is mine a better word, perhaps plunder?), the undeveloped internet. WSJ did an excellent series of articlesabout these companies and how they are getting better at collecting people’s seemingly random postings into profiles. Profiles that will and do impact credit ratings, security levels and brand you with a public perception that is not necessarily your intention, like jury duty. My apologies if these WSJ articles are behind a pay wall…
I am and have been retired for more than a few years.
I learned long ago, not to wear my heart on my sleeve. That doesn’t mean I should put my ass there instead.
Ted
[HTML links fixed. ~db stealey, mod.]
I use the name I’ve gone by since high school – Hank – which is a contraction of my last name (first three letters followed by the last). Most of my friends and peers wouldn’t recognize me if I were to use my given first name so, in a sense, I am using my real name that everyone knows me by.
I am a leading journal published medical researcher with a keen interest in research study design. I remain under impressed that many AGW studies lack proper methodologies and the conclusions derived from said studies are borderline delusional. It seems many studies are designed to impress bureaucrats to send more money with little real content beyond wild a** guessing. Skepticism is a welcomed virtue in my field as it promotes honesty and transparency. Climate research doesn’t appear to appreciate such values but I digress.
I’m confident enough in who I am to not be concerned about what others think of my opinions. I don’t fear professional retribution as most of my peers hold similar views to mine or are just plain disengaged from the topic of global warming. Since my work is not publicly funded or grant funded, I’m at liberty to say what I wish without concern of loosing my job. I have no concern about people reading my opinions a decade from now. I feel free to change my opinion should I have reason to and will defend or dismiss my former opinions accordingly. At the end of the day, I want to know the truth and see no wrong in seeking it by testing what is offered as truth with skepticism. If it passes the test, I’ll receive it. If not, I reject it. Presently, I reject the unfalsifiable theory of AGW which, with glaring religiosity, bends even contradiction into proof and conveniently disappears things it finds inconvenient.
It’s less typing.
My name is my first name and my last name is contained in my email address so I am giving my full name. I trust this web site not to expose my email address so my full name is safe. I did give my name to a web site years ago when I wasn’t thinking about posting but I have decided it’s best to keep my internet foot print small because a future employer might have issues with some of the things I post. If they get to know me, they will understand my postings and views will not interfere with my work, so hiding my full name will allow them to get to know me.
If an employer ask, I will tell them the truth as I see it but I want to get that face time before I am judged. Other than that, I freely share my views with others but will keep my mouth shut if a discussion would be to heated and not accomplish anything.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
I, too, use my initials as you can see from my email address. I use them outside of the web and on the job whenever practical as well. It’s my preferred identity. Some people see this as an attempt at anonymity. However, from my IP, you can gather a lot more information about me than I can about you. Very specific information in fact. Information I’d rather not have disseminated thank-you-very-much. I value my privacy. It’s becoming a rapidly scarce commodity. Why should the process be helped?
Willis Eschenbach says:
April 24, 2011 at 12:35 am
“Get over it”? What makes you think I care in the slightest either way if you use your initials? At this point you’re just an anonymous nobody on the internet, why should anyone care if you use your initials or your Grandma’s maiden name? …Nobody cares.
If you don’t care as you stated in your reply to dp then why this poll and blog post? Idle hands and all that? The people usually asking your questions often seem to have some problem they need to get over. I, too, wonder at why people ask these questions. Why DID you feel the need to ask — if you don’t really care about the answer, that is?
There are ways to avoid giving away too much that but they are genuine bother to use. I hope my trust in your and this blog’s discretion hasn’t been misplaced.
Willis –
A name (real or not) has no meaning on the Web, it is the quality (or lack thereof) in the comment that matters; not the who that said it.
Given names only matter in personal communication, not on world-wide-weblogs.
Pen names (or “nom de plume” or a pseudonym) are just as traceable as a realname.
I don’t care if the CIA and Chinese know who I am, it’s the principle that counts.
My name is the only thing I’m taking to my grave, I’m not going to allow just anyone to throw dirt on it before then.
* I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble at my work. (True)
* I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble at home or with my family. (False)
* I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble with my friends and acquaintances. (False)
* I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble at my school or university.(False)
* I’m posting from a country which discourages freedom of speech.(False)
* I’m concerned that someone will take violent exception to my views about climate and threaten me or my family.(True)
* I feel more comfortable posting anonymously, but I’m not sure why.(False)
* I’m concerned about putting any personal information about myself on the web for any reason.(True)
* I find it easier to express negative views when I post anonymously.(False)
* I’m posting from work on company time, or the equivalent (e.g. posting when I’m supposed to be studying).(False)
* I don’t want people to be able to research my previous statements.(False) (I use the same name and even link to my blog)
* I feel able to express more confident views if those statements aren’t personally attributable to me.(False)
* I’m posting for relaxation – not “publication”.(Truish)
* Using my real name is just asking for ad hominem attacks.(True)
* I don’t know who might read the post and what they might do with it.(True)
* I don’t wish to disclose my formal qualifications, or lack of them, or that I am in a different field.(False)
* I can say things that I would be embarrassed to say in person.(False)
* I’m lazy.(True, but not the reason)
* I work with clients/customers or in a market where skeptical views are not welcome.(False)
* It’s a chance to let out my repressed wild and crazy inner personalities.(False)
* I have someone constantly Googling my name.(True)
* It allows me to “compartmentalize” my opinions on very different subjects.(False)
* I have worked for oil companies or other “eco-criminals” (miners, agribusiness) and it would likely be held against me.(False)
* I am concerned that my age, gender, ethnicity, educational level, etc are factors that can affect the people who read a comment and many of them unfortunately then respond in a biased way.(False)
* I have been attacked for my views.(False)
* I don’t wish for my thoughts and comments from years gone by to turn up whenever someone does a search on my name.(True, goes back to employment)
* I enjoy putting forward an identity that says more about me than my name.(False)
* It’s good that no-one on the internet knows if you’re a frog.(False)
* It would be easy to connect up my posts, email address and ultimately my credit cards. Spam and fraud would then follow.(False)
* I don’t want to be associated with my job when posting on technical subjects.(True)
* I am concerned about the UK defamation law.(False)
* In my country you could be targeted by the consensus people.(True)
* I have a common name and use a pseudonym so that I can search for my postings.(False)
* I am concerned it may cost me business/lose me funding.(False)
* Would you seriously consider using your real name after a reasonable period of retirement.(yes)
* Would you prefer to be able to post under your own name? (No)
* Career (No)
* Age (No)
* Sex (No)
* Location (No)
* I want to be able to claim ownership of my ideas. (True)
* I refuse to be intimidated by the dangers of the world. (People are crazy out there, what about if they attack your children?)
* I am much better mannered when I have to take responsibility for my words. (False)
* My claims tend to extravagance when I post anonymously. (False)
* I grew up a cowboy, and criticizing someone from behind a mask of anonymity feels like shooting someone from ambush … and a cowboy can’t do that, it’s in the contract, ask Tom Mix. (False)
The reality is that conservatives are not nuts and crazies, and for the most part do things through proper and standard process. This is not the case with the progressives, people who write letters to your employers demanding they fire you, people who send goon squads to people’s homes, goons who have shown a preference for physical violence in many cases, “environmentalists” that burn SUVs, commit other arson, start forest fires, fire guns at people’s homes, throw rocks through peoples windows. I really have no particular need to place myself or my family at risk of “retribution” from these people.
What affects my style of posting is context. I do post under my name at a major newspaper because there my pseudonym would likely cause the conservative audience to take my postings less seriously. Here I expect and find that I am judged by the content my posts rather than the color of my handle.
As I have posted elsewhere, in my own research which is focused on the history of marine science some of my closest colleagues are warmists. Most of them I know well enough and would trust to reveal to them my deeply skeptical views (backed up with the excellent information gleaned over the years from WUWT), but not all, and therefore I remain in the closet in my immediate field.
My closest colleague is a wonderful person with whom I have never discussed the issue for the simple reason that this person’s thesis supervisor was N—-i O——s, a leading voice for the CAGW movement, with whom this person has a good relationship. I do not want in any way to jeopardize the personal and professional relationship I have with this colleague.
Many friends in the history of science who move in other research circles already know my views; I am happy to think that I will have been ahead of the curve in my field, which inexorably is being drawn towards the issues exposed by Climategate.
I have, more than once unfortunately, said things that were wrong philosophically or technically; more than one error is attached to my name for those who remember. But the blogosphere is a group discussion in which one is unable to be corrected in a timely fashion or retract and restate when what comes from your fingers doesn’t well match what was running around in your head. But there appears to be a large tolerance for those on the learning curve as there is in a well-run group discussion. Not always, and the internet allows a certain over-enthusiasm at times (and for some people) but I accept the cringing I sometimes create for myself as part of the medium and involvement.
We should feel free to express ourselves. Having a blog nom-de-plume allows a persona to take the fall, but if such things as climate change are important, should we not pony up and admit where we stand? At work and in social scenes my views are not always well received, but in silence there is danger, as any historian will remind us. Using your real name with all its perils of blowback is a mature thing and perhaps it moderates one’s rebuttal, if not in substance than in sensitivity. The world can always use more sensitivity from its people.
The usage of “handles” is, in my opinion, more about play-acting than anything else; it is fun. We like nicknames, even those who don’t have them, as they capture some essence and (usually) humour of some type that appeals to us. But in a serious debate using your real name gives you more credibility as it says you are prepared to have your thoughts attached to you when you leave the theatre, ether-based or other.
At some point, to be taken seriously, we have to stand for what we believe as who we are. Otherwise what we say is all posturing. Posturing is fun and safe but it has no long-term value.
I post anonymously so that I am not a target of ANOTHER libelous and slanderous smear campaign from local environmental activists. (I am a scientist. The smear campaign occurred as a result of my presentation of facts and findings (in the course of doing my job) that did not support the activists’ agenda.)
Willis –
Can’t resist,
I don’t want the people I work for to know how smart I am. I need the job.
A name is like a grain of sand in the Sahara.
I’m retired, I don’t need the publicity.
I’ve got all the trophies and medals I need.
I don’t want to embarass my spouse and kids.
My family doesn’t know what I do all day.
Folks always thought I was smarter than I really am, why spoil their memories?
I’ve done so many things I’m not very proud of and I’m praying for a miracle.
Even at the beach I wear a hat, t-shirt, sunglasses, and sit under an umbrella with a towel over my legs.
I post with a pseudonym. I run my own business and will definitely stand to lose business if my posts were seen by some of my clients.
After some considerable time investigating political correctness, feminism, socialism, postmodernism, islam, immigration, environmentalism, genetics, … I have come to be a serious reactionary and can afford to offer my opinions only piecemeal. Most of my “friends” have eaten the modern 1968 trash hook, line and sinker.
So, in order to write anything without causing serious conflict in my social life I simply have to use a set of pseudonyms.
Good idea.
A couple of points:
Anonymously means without a name which is different from posting under a pseudo. Anon is not possible here since you need to provide a publically displayed name so you need to rephrase all the question referring to anonymous.
You boilerplate wording has a derogatory (poss. judgemental) tone: “I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will …” . It has an echo of Zimmerman’s “lack of integrity”.
You seems to be assuming that the reason someone may not use their “real name” is because they don’t want to associate with the post. It may be for simple privacy or the host of other reasons you have covered quite well so far.
More neutral wording may be “I don’t want to display my real name because…”
Another for the list may have to do with no edit/correction or retraction possible.
On the subject of anonymity, the WSJ has some basic steps to cover your tracks.