The people of Maenan barely knew Danny Stephen Webb. The secluded Welsh hamlet is surrounded by woodland. People move there to enjoy a quiet life. Local resident David Meet says: "I wouldn't have known him if I fell over him in the street."

Yet now Webb has become the most famous man in the village. Last week, the FBI swooped in and arrested him.

Webb was the pseudonymA false name used to protect a person's identity. of Daniel Andreas San Diego, a fugitiveA person who is running away or hiding from the police or a dangerous situation. for 21 years. He was an American man, on the run for involvement in two bombings in 2003.  The FBI describes him as "an animal rights extremist" and a "terroristUsing violence or the threat of violence to create fear among a wide group of people. ". They offered $250,000 (£199,000) for information leading to his arrest.

San Diego was on the FBI's Most Wanted list. This includes a whole host of fugitives who have managed to disappear.

There is Haitian gang leader Vitel'Homme Innocent, who in 2021 took 17 people hostage, including five children. His bountyMoney paid for killing or capturing a person or animal. is $2bn. Colombian drug smuggler Silver Villega-Palomino, who vanished in 2020, is worth $5bn. And Ruja Ignatova, missing since 2017 and with a $5bn bounty, was involved in cryptocurrency fraud.

Disappearing requires constant vigilanceKeeping careful watch for possible danger.. All it takes is a single slip-up. Neighbours think San Diego was caught because he bought a house, placing his real name on legal documents. 

It also demands incredible devotion. You need to leave everyone and everywhere you have ever known. You need to live without most modern conveniences.

Today's technology makes hiding particularly hard. We provide a data footprint every time we use a digital device. If we pay for something using a card the bank logs our details. Our phones track where we have been.

There are cameras everywhere. In London, you are likely to be captured on CCTVShort for closed circuit television. Video camera used to monitor areas for security. up to 70 times a day.¹ There is a high chance that you will appear in the background of a phone snapshot or TikTok.

Yet disappearance might still be possible. San Diego was actively being sought. He was in Britain, one of the countries where digital technology is used the most. But if you move somewhere very remote and far from your pursuers, you might get away with it.

Is it possible to hide today?

Yes: San Diego managed 21 years before he was caught, despite living in the UK, and only slipped up towards the end. Someone with enough cunning could do the same or better.

No: In George Orwell's book 1984, an all-seeing Big Brother watches people's every move. Through digital technology, we have created our own far more powerful version. There is no escape.

Or... It depends on what you are hiding from. If you are an internationally wanted criminal, it might be almost impossible. But if you are simply seeking to vanish from your daily life, it might be easier.