We’ve all heard the urban legend about the guy who goes out to buy a pack of cigarettes and is never seen again. While it may have largely been a myth, it was possible before the information age to willfully vanish without a trace. But is it still an option in our digital world? In the November Wired cover story, “Vanish: Finding Evan Ratliff,” the magazine attempted to answer the question by offering a $5000 bounty to anyone who could locate their writer, who tried to go underground while staying on the grid. From the article:

“If you are looking to launch a disappearance, I cannot recommend any location more highly than a big-city Greyhound bus station. A mode of transportation Americans have seemingly left to the poor and desperate, it reeks of neglect and disdain. But for anonymity in the post-9/11 world — when the words “I’ll just need to see a photo ID” are as common as a handshake — bus travel remains a sanctuary untouched by security. At the station in Las Vegas, I paid cash for a ticket under the name James Gatz, no ID required. Six cramped hours later I was in Los Angeles.” Read the rest of this entry »