Show HN: Using stylometry to find HN users with alternate accounts (stylometry.net)

Article summary

A stylometry tool has been developed to identify potential alternate accounts on Hacker News by analyzing writing styles. The tool presents a list of users with similar writing styles, with bold usernames indicating a mutual correlation. The accuracy of the tool is discussed in the comments, with some users finding it effective in identifying their own alternate accounts. The tool's limitations and potential countermeasures are also explored.

Main themes

• stylometry
• alternate accounts
• writing style analysis
• tool accuracy
• countermeasures
• user identification

What commenters say

• The tool is effective in identifying alternate accounts with high similarity scores, but may not be foolproof.
• Writing styles can change over time, potentially affecting the tool's accuracy.
• Some users have found the tool to be useful in identifying their own alternate accounts, while others have raised concerns about its limitations.
• The use of randomized translation as a countermeasure is discussed, with some arguing it may be effective in evading detection.
• The tool's results may not always be symmetric, with some users being identified as similar to another user but not vice versa.
• The threshold for determining whether two accounts are likely to be the same person is debated, with some suggesting a score of 0.9 or higher as a reliable indicator.
• The tool's ability to identify similar writing styles can also be used to find users with shared interests, even if they are not alternate accounts.