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Thread: Privacy and Pen Names

  1. #1
    I see mildly ill people. AmbulanceBlues's Avatar
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    Aug 2006
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    Privacy and Pen Names

    I'm going to start publishing sites and I'm worried about privacy. I'd like to use an actual name in my dealings over the internet but I would prefer to maintain my privacy. I was wondering if anyone had knowledge about using a nom-de-plume. Can I just use it? Do I have to register it as an alias like a business d/b/a? Any ideas?

  2. #2
    Administrator Chris's Avatar
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    Well, you can use a private domain registration, Godaddy offers the service at varying price levels up to free if you buy enough domains. I'm not sure about other registrars. At that point no one can find out who you are without a subpeona unless you tell them.

    Then for legal reasons you can't really make up a name when registering with ad networks or what have you, but if you like you can register a DBA with your county and then get a bank account in that name and use that for payments, but you'd still have to use your real name as the contact person and on the W9 tax forms you'd need to send out. If you want to use the business name on the W9 forms you'll need to go a step further and get an EIN from the IRS (basically a SSN for businesses).

    Or you can just get things out of the way and register an LLC or S-Corp now as a separate business entity from yourself.
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  3. #3
    Not that blue at all Blue Cat Buxton's Avatar
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    But for article publishing there is no reason you cant say it was written by whoever, unless you try to pass it off as being written by a real person ie articles on your business site by Richard Branson maight cause you some problems!

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