In 2020, I started asking questions on Quora and to avoid being personally attacked in troll answers I asked my questions anonymously. I also know that people who ask questions about life advice or driven by their personal experience tend to favour anonymity for the sake of protecting their privacy. And people who ask questions belying their political affiliations may wish to do so as well. And even people who are embarrassed by the fact that they don’t already know the answers to their questions can stave off that concern through anonymity. 

With exactly two exceptions every single one of my nymous questions on Quora was meant to be asked anonymously and with no exceptions I came to wish that they were anonymous. And in some cases like asking a sincere question (using my name) about one topic an answerer responded by attacking me for an answer I had given by name on another topic, a problem that would have been averted by anonymity.

I have heard quite often about “anonymous trolls” and/or “anonymous troll questions”. Even though the vast majority of anonymous questions (and for that matter answers) are entirely legitimate and sincere and I have encountered far too many nymous trolls to think that it is good or fair or impactfulto punish all anonymous questioners for the misdeeds of the minority by depriving them of their sacred privacy.

And no, I don’t consider pseudonymity a viable substitute because if you have a specific identity on Quora then you can be easily attacked by trolls with or without names and your persona can easily become synonymous with your actual identity whereas lack of a name can’t.

Not to mention everyone has at one point asked a question they regretted asking and then the ability to delete the question without the embarrassment of having asked feels almost heaven sent. 

It’s for this reason that I created a Space called Keep that Feature to oppose efforts to delete our ability to anonymously ask questions. I failed in that regard and now hope to rectify that failure. In that spirit I humbly ask you to help get Quora to recognize our sacred right to privacy in the only way possible; Restore that Feature.