Politics, religion and

A new social networking site, Social Number, caters to those who have a preference for anonymity. Instead of a name or a handle or a thumbnail photo of themselves, users are identified only by a number. In this way, the site encourages users to discuss anything, from a bad job to a hot-button social issue to a substance-abuse problem, without fear that the conversation could be connected to their The social network where no one knows you? Social Networkingreal-world identity.

Arthur Douglas Harmon had gone to the building to discuss some type of litigation, Phoenix Police Publi...

The controversial site 4chan, where anonymous users have been known to post offensive material, has long reveled in its anything-goes spirit. Other apps and sites geared toward the college-age crowd, such as Whisper, encourage anonymous posting, while a new app called Spraffl allows users to post anomymous location-based messages about local happenings.

Heres how it works: A user signs up with their email address and date of birth (the site aims to restrict membership to those 18 and older) to get a number. Then a user is free to post expressions, almost like status updates, on any topic theyd like, or they can search for pals or groups that share their interests. Ideally,new york asian escort M.K. envisions the site operating like any other social network by fostering potential real-life connections for users.

As he told CNN, a number has no association with who you are.

Phoenix police were searching Wednesday for a 70-year-old man suspected in the shooting of three people, one of whom died, in an office building.

Social Number is just the latest volley in a longstanding debate surrounding anonymity on the Internet. Its an issue that encompasses online bullying, trolling and hoaxes like the one involving Notre Dame football star Manti Teo. For every person pointing out the value in online anonymity, such as for political activists in nations where free speech is threatened, there are others who warn of its dangers.

But social networks built on anonymity are still rare. Most of us see our online selves to be extensions of our real-world identities, and plenty of people hide their actual identity behind a username. But M.K. argues that using a unique number makes the cloak of anonymity that much more secure.

Online, you can project whatever identity you like. But for some people, its easier to have no identity at all.

M.K. said he created the site as a more private space for those seeking to express themselves freely without the baggage of their online persona. Social Numbers community is still small: Since officially launching the site in mid-December, M.K estimates his membership is less than 10,000, with 50 percent to 70 percent of his users residing in the United States.

I had been feeling for a while that there were privacy issues with most social networking sites, said the sites creator, Social Networking who gives his name only as M.K. I just felt that any time you search someones name, it pops up in every different way, from Facebook and Twitter and everyplace else ... I just felt that there was one site needed where people could come and talk ... freely and not worry about whos going to read it and whats going to happen.