Glaring Error in Setup of PGP

[sputnikspooner]

i`m trying to be as anon as possible, and - get this -I mistakenly used
my real email address when I set up my PGP software. Is my private email
now to remain visible to other PGP users for eternity?

Thanks,

sputnikspooner

[David E. Ross]

Post by sputnikspooner
i`m trying to be as anon as possible, and - get this -I mistakenly used
my real email address when I set up my PGP software. Is my private email
now to remain visible to other PGP users for eternity?
Thanks,
sputnikspooner

No, your E-mail is not visible. Only your E-mail address is visible.
If this bothers you, revoke the key and upload the revocation to
whatever key server you used. Then create a new key-pair. In the
future, do not upload your public key to any key server. Your old
public key will remain visible, but most people have no interest in
revoked keys.

The idea of using your real E-mail address in a key that is uploaded is
so that someone who does not already have your public key can get it to
send you something encrypted or verify your signature on something you
sent. If you are using PGP, the process is partially automated for
obtaining a public key when the E-mail address is known. Once your key
has been obtained by someone else, encrypting to your key or verifying
your signature is almost fully automated. It is much more a manual
process if only the key ID or fingerprint are available.