This thread has gone on for a week or more and no one seems to have
bothered to look in a standard dictionary to see what the word means.
Why?
Here is what Merriam-Webster says:
Main Entry: alias
Function: adverb
Etymology: Latin, otherwise, from alius other --
more at ELSE
Date: 15th century
: otherwise called : otherwise known as
Note the date on the adverbial use of the word in English.
Also:
Main Entry: alias
Function: noun
Date: 1605
: an assumed or additional name
That's all. Just an assumed or additional name. No motives, such as
criminality, are implied with the use of the word. Many e-mail
addresses use aliases, for example.