i'm not seeking anonymity so much as avoiding being low-hanging fruit. by all appearances, the people the IRS are currently shaking down are those who were in the 2018 coinbase summons and customers of exchanges who send 1099s. if a 3-letter agency really wants to nail you, it's another matter entirely, but avoiding KYC is a good way for casual users to generally stay off the radar.
Exactly! This is why Anonymous Exchanges and methods to buy and sell bitcoin world wide will always be popular.
Even in a "banned" country, traveling somewhere and buying/selling bitcoin for cash is always possible.