This paper has comprehensively demonstrated why you don't roll your own anonymization (unless extremely qualified). It's pretty epic:

https://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/files/2023-07/ejmr_paper_nber(1).pdf

... It also demonstrates that a bunch of
economists will say a lot of hateful things (sexist, racist, homophobic, and antisemetic) if they think they're anonymous. So many people are trying to get this replaced by a moderated alternative.

Paper is worth a read to drop your jaw at the terribleness of either angle. Or both.

@leak so you're saying they should have hashed it instead? 😛