Some indeed do it to circumvent bans but others might have their reasons.
I personally hide my social security number, my real birthday and the email I typically use also.
So what am I trying to hide? Exactly that, my social security number from theft, my real birthday also from data collectors who sell this info, and emails to make this a little difficult.
I recall this man who was a newby who had just started posting on another forum I was on many years back calling christians frauds and liars simply because they do not post their real names when they post (although I am sure his "Mr. George Smith" coming in his own name was his real name) I think not. Simply put, a username is not any persons real name, so anyone using one is actually hiding who they are. Ever hear of malicious actors, identity theft and data collectors, and all the rest of it? Sometimes its not done to hide anything but being mindful of these things and making it a little more difficult on that end of things.
Especially when in some seemingly freindly (and honest) casual back and forth between you and others drop your gaurd and answer seemingly innocent questions, for example.
I adore dogs! Anyone else here love dogs too? "I'll go first, I have a sweet german shepherd named mandy" tell me about your little sweety! (Oh so innocent)
Whereas your dog's name is oftentimes one of the security questions options on a pulldown menu at a bank used as verification of who you are. So is where you were born, and all sorts of personal questions that are bound to come up in only discussions, and people love to talk about themselves , so there is sometimes hidden dangers lurking in casual freindly discussions and always the potential to drop your gaurd and answer something you really should never put out there (for malicious actors) or cyber stalkers to gather about you.
We arent really among just friends in Christ when occupying this online space. Sometimes people are aware of those hidden dangers and its less about hiding themselves because they would ever do such things.
