diff --git a/ts/components/conversation/ContactName.tsx b/ts/components/conversation/ContactName.tsx
index 261b4715e..4ac500ed3 100644
--- a/ts/components/conversation/ContactName.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/conversation/ContactName.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
   useNicknameOrProfileNameOrShortenedPubkey,
 } from '../../hooks/useParamSelector';
 import { Emojify } from './Emojify';
+import { PubKey } from '../../session/types';
 
 type Props = {
   pubkey: string;
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ export const ContactName = (props: Props) => {
         }
       : commonStyles
   ) as CSSProperties;
-  const textProfile = profileName || name || convoName || window.i18n('anonymous');
+  const textProfile = profileName || name || convoName || PubKey.shorten(pubkey);
 
   return (
     <span
diff --git a/ts/components/conversation/composition/CompositionBox.tsx b/ts/components/conversation/composition/CompositionBox.tsx
index a74f92668..31598efd2 100644
--- a/ts/components/conversation/composition/CompositionBox.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/conversation/composition/CompositionBox.tsx
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ import {
 import { CompositionTextArea } from './CompositionTextArea';
 import { cleanMentions, mentionsRegex } from './UserMentions';
 import { HTMLDirection } from '../../../util/i18n/rtlSupport';
+import { PubKey } from '../../../session/types';
 
 export interface ReplyingToMessageProps {
   convoId: string;
@@ -521,8 +522,7 @@ class CompositionBoxInner extends Component<Props, State> {
 
     const allMembers = allPubKeys.map(pubKey => {
       const convo = ConvoHub.use().get(pubKey);
-      const profileName =
-        convo?.getNicknameOrRealUsernameOrPlaceholder() || window.i18n('anonymous');
+      const profileName = convo?.getNicknameOrRealUsernameOrPlaceholder() || PubKey.shorten(pubKey);
 
       return {
         id: pubKey,
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ class CompositionBoxInner extends Component<Props, State> {
 
     // Transform the users to what react-mentions expects
     const mentionsData = members.map(user => ({
-      display: user.authorProfileName || window.i18n('anonymous'),
+      display: user.authorProfileName || PubKey.shorten(user.id),
       id: user.id,
     }));
     callback(mentionsData);
diff --git a/ts/models/conversation.ts b/ts/models/conversation.ts
index 83d37a84e..3f53774c5 100644
--- a/ts/models/conversation.ts
+++ b/ts/models/conversation.ts
@@ -1423,11 +1423,6 @@ export class ConversationModel extends Backbone.Model<ConversationAttributes> {
     return this.getNickname() || this.getRealSessionUsername();
   }
 
-  /**
-   * @returns `getNickname` if a private convo and a nickname is set, or `getRealSessionUsername`
-   *
-   * Can also a localized 'Anonymous' for an unknown private chat and localized 'Unknown' for an unknown group (open/closed)
-   */
   public getNicknameOrRealUsernameOrPlaceholder(): string {
     const nickOrReal = this.getNickname() || this.getRealSessionUsername();
 
@@ -1435,7 +1430,7 @@ export class ConversationModel extends Backbone.Model<ConversationAttributes> {
       return nickOrReal;
     }
     if (this.isPrivate()) {
-      return window.i18n('anonymous');
+      return PubKey.shorten(this.id);
     }
     if (this.isPublic()) {
       return window.i18n('communityUnknown');
@@ -1981,7 +1976,7 @@ export class ConversationModel extends Backbone.Model<ConversationAttributes> {
       iconUrl,
       isExpiringMessage: false,
       message: window.i18n('callsIncoming', {
-        name: this.getNicknameOrRealUsername() || window.i18n('anonymous'),
+        name: this.getNicknameOrRealUsername() || PubKey.shorten(conversationId),
       }),
       messageSentAt: now,
       title: this.getNicknameOrRealUsernameOrPlaceholder(),
diff --git a/ts/state/selectors/messages.ts b/ts/state/selectors/messages.ts
index 6fada5564..6e7637d28 100644
--- a/ts/state/selectors/messages.ts
+++ b/ts/state/selectors/messages.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { StateType } from '../reducer';
 import { getIsMessageSelected, getMessagePropsByMessageId } from './conversations';
 import { useSelectedIsPrivate } from './selectedConversation';
 import { LastMessageStatusType } from '../ducks/types';
+import { PubKey } from '../../session/types';
 
 function useMessagePropsByMessageId(messageId: string | undefined) {
   return useSelector((state: StateType) => getMessagePropsByMessageId(state, messageId));
@@ -34,12 +35,15 @@ export const useAuthorProfileName = (messageId: string): string | null => {
   if (!msg || !senderProps) {
     return null;
   }
+  const { sender } = msg.propsForMessage;
 
-  const senderIsUs = msg.propsForMessage.sender === UserUtils.getOurPubKeyStrFromCache();
+  const senderIsUs = sender === UserUtils.getOurPubKeyStrFromCache();
 
   const authorProfileName = senderIsUs
     ? window.i18n('you')
-    : senderProps.nickname || senderProps.displayNameInProfile || window.i18n('anonymous');
+    : senderProps.nickname ||
+      senderProps.displayNameInProfile ||
+      PubKey.shorten(sender);
   return authorProfileName || window.i18n('unknown');
 };
 
diff --git a/ts/state/selectors/selectedConversation.ts b/ts/state/selectors/selectedConversation.ts
index 3d52e8ed6..f6178c64d 100644
--- a/ts/state/selectors/selectedConversation.ts
+++ b/ts/state/selectors/selectedConversation.ts
@@ -374,9 +374,6 @@ export function useSelectedShortenedPubkeyOrFallback() {
   if (isPrivate && selected) {
     return PubKey.shorten(selected);
   }
-  if (isPrivate) {
-    return window.i18n('anonymous');
-  }
   return window.i18n('unknown');
 }