When creating a new wallet or using a new trading platform - what is the appropriate way to conduct with regards to my own privacy and OPSEC?
Do you enter your actual details (name, address, phone number, etc.) and upload your actual documents (ID, passport, etc.)?
For trading platform or crypto exchange, most of them will require you to send your personal information before they allowed you to withdraw or uses their platform.
If yes - doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of anonymity?
If not - does that put you at any sort of risk of losing access to your funds (as in - should you lose access to it they won't be able to verify that it's actually you because no personal details match, just as an example).
As much as we hate it, crypto is evolving, and so it's no longer that (pseudo)anonymity. It's because of certain regulations like for compliance on AML that crypto exchanges are requiring everyone now to submit their personal information. Yes, it's true it defeated the purpose of decentralization, but it is what it is. If you put your crypto in the wallet that you have full control then that is your responsibility on how you are going to protect your account. So you need to take care of your mnemonic phrase or private key. If it is a exchange then you don't have full control of your funds so there are chances that you might lose everything in cases the exchange itself was hacked or if your account was compromised.