There’s a new tool available for all your temporary false identity needs: fakena.me.

The site, whose creator isn’t immediately apparent, provides a “random fake name, address, username, password, and (usable) email address for use with online message boards, social media, or whatever else” on demand.

A number of other programs and sites offer the same service as fakena.me, maybe most notably Fake Name Generator (which actually provides more information than fakena.me). What makes fakena.me interesting is that there’s a particular and explicit philosophy behind it. The profiles you generate can be bookmarked and reused for up to 30 days, after which it’s deleted. The site’s front page offers a rationale for this:

The idea is that, to improve online privacy, you should change your username and email address frequently so sites don't build a history of your activities. Of course, this is only a small part of the things that you can do to improve online privacy, but it's a good start.

I like this a lot, if only because it draws attention to the limitations of what it’s providing. While it’s true that most fake identity generators aren’t claiming their products are foolproof, it’s nice to see one taking an extra step and actively making its users deal with it more cautiously.

Please check back for a post when fakena.me turns out to be an NSA project.