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The Man Who's Kept His Face Off the Internet for 20 Years

An anonymous reader writes: Jonathan Hirshon is a 48-year-old Silicon Valley PR guy. He was an adult when the internet went mainstream, and he went online with a unique bit of forethought: "I decided to play a game with myself: How long could I keep my picture off the Internet." He's managed to keep the internet free of his image for two decades, and he's expanding the game. Hirshon is rallying the troops to outsmart Facebook and Google facial recognition. He asked his friends, "If you're so inclined, take a moment and tag me in some random picture or image. A leaf on the wind, a howler monkey, geometry equations, George Clooney, a large steaming pile of excrement—select an image that you think best suits me or [is] based solely on your whim."

4 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. What's the big deal by rfengr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm just a few years younger and my face is not on the internet either, despite publishing youtube videos, etc..

    1. Re:What's the big deal by timrod · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The big deal is that this guy works in PR. A good chunk of PR these days is managing social media pages. This is just another way to say to his clients, "Look at me! I know how to avoid having my face on the internet despite having a Facebook profile! This clearly means I am the best person to manage your PR campaign, call my office today at (x) or send an email!"

    2. Re:What's the big deal by darkain · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Or how about a super successful PR guy, by getting his story right to the front page of /. and probably many other tech sites. "Hey, if he can get a silly story about himself everywhere, WHAT CAN HE DO FOR US!?" He just PRed the hell outta himself right in to the pocket books of many new clients.

  2. Re:Me neither by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "You won't find mine either."

    I have bad news for both you and Jonathan Hirshon. Neither of you has any idea if there is an image of yourselves on the internet or not, but the odds are overwhelmingly against your claim to the contrary.

    --
    Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun