Latter-day Saints Shed Anonymous Online Identities
Church members are replacing pseudonyms with real names after an apostle urged them to abandon anonymity online.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Latter-Day Saints
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Many Latter-day Saint church members changed their previously anonymous social media accounts to their real names this week. The shift followed a worldwide devotional for young adults in which Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles urged members to stop using anonymous online identities.
Why it matters
Elder Cook said anonymity enables people to say and do things they would not do if their true identity were known, and that anonymous messaging often makes people feel free enough to abandon the high road. The move reflects an effort to bring members' online conduct in line with their religious commitments.
Bryan Summers changed the X account Acts of the Apostles to his Christian name and actual photo on Monday, while keeping the handle @actsoftheapostles_. The platform allows the account to display his own name as the main identity, though the total number of members making similar changes has not been reported.
The players
Quentin L. Cook
Elder Cook is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he delivered the devotional urging members to abandon anonymous online identities.
Bryan Summers
Summers is a church member who renamed his X account Acts of the Apostles to his Christian name and actual photo after the devotional.
The details
Elder Quentin L. Cook spoke at a worldwide devotional for young adults on Sunday and asked church members to avoid anonymity and take off their masks of anonymity. Members responded by changing their account names to their real names during the week, with Summers' account serving as one example.
Timeline
Sunday: Elder Cook gives worldwide devotional urging members to drop anonymity.
Monday: Members including Bryan Summers change their account names.
Roadmap
The move extends The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' longstanding counsel on personal conduct into digital spaces where anonymity has become common. It reflects a broader religious concern that online pseudonyms can weaken accountability for words and actions.
Members who maintain public social media accounts may need to decide whether to use their real names and photos going forward. The guidance applies to church members worldwide who participate in online discussion of their faith.
The takeaway
Using a real name online asks people to answer for what they say, which is the core of Elder Cook's message about conduct. Members who are weighing their own accounts can consider whether their posts would change if their identity were visible.
Further reading
For more on the faith's guidance for members, explore the Latter-Day Saints section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Deseret News.
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