Using stylometry to find HN users with alternate accounts
Author here. This site lets you put in a username and get the users with the most similar writing style to that user. It confirmed several users who I suspected were alts and after informally asking around has identified abandoned accounts of people I know from many years ago. I made this site mostly to show how easy this is and how it can erode online privacy. If some guy with a little bit of Python, and $8 to rent a decent dedicated server for a day can make this, imagine what a company with millions of dollars and a couple dozen PhD linguists could do. Here's Paul Graham:…
In plain words
This tool analyzes writing style to identify Hacker News users who may be operating alternate accounts. Users input a username and receive a ranked list of accounts with similar writing patterns. The creator built it as a demonstration of how stylometry can compromise online anonymity, requiring only basic Python skills and minimal server costs. It serves as a privacy awareness project highlighting capabilities that well-resourced organizations could scale significantly further.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
Author here. This site lets you put in a username and get the users with the most similar writing style to that user. It confirmed several users who I suspected were alts and after informally asking around has identified abandoned accounts of people I know from many years ago. I made this site mostly to show how easy this is and how it can erode online privacy. If some guy with a little bit of Python, and $8 to rent a decent dedicated server for a day can make this, imagine what a company with millions of dollars and a couple dozen PhD linguists could do. Here's Paul Graham: https://stylometry.net/user?username=pg Here are some frequent HN commenters: (EDIT: Removed due to privacy concerns)
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