Burner Account
A secondary, temporary, or pseudonymous account used separately from a person’s main public identity.
“He used a burner account to reply without revealing his main profile.”
People create burner accounts to browse privately, discuss sensitive topics, avoid linking posts to a main profile, or secretly promote and defend themselves. Burners can also be used abusively for harassment or evasion.
Burner originally described disposable prepaid phones. The idea transferred to temporary email addresses and social-media accounts intended to be discarded or kept separate.
burner
The shortened name for a burner account.
burner profile
Another phrase for a separate disposable or anonymous profile.
sockpuppet account
A related term, especially for an account used deceptively to support its owner.
Is having a burner account illegal?
No by itself, but using one for harassment, fraud, impersonation, or rule evasion can violate laws or platform policies.
What is the difference between a burner and an alt?
An alt may be a lasting secondary identity, while a burner is often more disposable or deliberately hidden.
Can people trace a burner account?
Potentially. Platforms may retain technical and account information even when the public profile is anonymous.