Yes, the original Black Canary wore the mask. The second never bothered with one. She did wear a wig for a while before dyeing her hair officially to blond. The wig was part of the disguise.
Her identity wasn't compromised. She came out of the superhero closet after writing a memoir. She hadn't really led her life as Dinah Lance since before Birds of Prey, so there was no civilian life that could have been compromised.
Dinah outed herself long before that actually. That'd be an error in continuity, since White Canary didn't even exist when her identity was made public.
No, I'm not. All of those issues are non-canon now anyway thanks to the reboot. Dinah Laurel Lance doesn't exist anymore, so the point is kind of moot.
I think I really like the combination of Yellow & Black. For being called "Black Canary" I can't seem to remember any of her Costumes having Yellow on them, almost always Black & sometimes even Blue but never Yellow!
Black Canary is one of my personal favorites. Either way, I'm glad you liked my designs for her and Ivy. If you get the chance, feel free to look at my other redesigns.