Real Name Internet versus Reality

by phobos | July 31, 2011

There is a growing cacophony that a fully identified, real name policy for the Internet will solve all of our problems relating to crime, bullying, harassment, and everything else. This idea is furthered along by Facebook, Google, and the US White House.

As just one example of how this is an over-simplified argument, it seems people are continuing to forget their childhoods. As a kid, many of you were bullied and harassed at school. You knew the kids picking on you at lunch, at recess, at morning before class, and after school. Further, you knew their parents, where they lived, and generally who they were outside of school. This bullying and harassment may have continued through High School, into College, and through your work life. Again, you knew their real names and far more about them than Google, Facebook, or the US Govt will ever hope to know. A real name world hasn't made life better, more civil, or safer for millions of kids growing up in it.

I've spent time talking to kids that have been bullied online and in real life. It's all done with real names via Facebook, text messaging, at recess, after school, via twitter, etc. It spreads to those trying to stop it, such as their parents who get involved to defend their kid. These are all real name environments. Kids don't call it bullying. It's called 'starting static' these days to skirt the word 'bullying'. Regardless of the term, it's frequently done via real names.

There is a small, but growing, set of voices realizing that real name policies aren't all they are promising to provide, namely safety. EFF/Jillian York, GigOM/Matthew Ingram, and moot have all made cases why anonymity is important on the Internet. This forced dichotomy is not new, Karina Rigby wrote about it back in 1995.

We've learned over the past few years that the ability to remain anonymous has led to people instituting positive change, such as the 'Arab Spring', and to being able to research and question authority without the fear of punishment and/or death to them and their relatives in repressive regimes. Further, the option of anonymity can allow you to explore new topics, learn about new things, and join new communities. You are freed from the baggage of your own history. People can change.

Jerks can use anonymity too. Or they can use their real names. It would be an interesting study to see the abuse/complaint report numbers for Facebook, Google+, and other real name environments versus similar environments without such a real name requirement. It would be equally interesting to learn if the presence of an authority figure versus real names provides less abuse/complaints from the members. This post is skipping the entire topic of trojan software acting in your name, such as botnets collating millions of identities to do the bidding of others.

The power is in the beholder, not the technology itself. Use your anonymity for good, while you still have it. You should be in control of your identity, not someone else.

Comments

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August 03, 2011

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Precisely. The only thing forcing people to use real names on the internet will do is stifle free speech because people will be afraid of being bullied/suppressed/censored/made fun of in real like, which would be made simpler by forcing them to use real names. Also, what about people making changes in their lives - changing their official gender, or name for some other reason (escaping brutal ex-spouses, for example). Are these real-name centric systems online set up to cope with those issues? I sincerely doubt so.

August 03, 2011

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Just another ploy to control the internet, the last bastion of freedom from imperialism and globalisation.

It's looking more and more like we're going to have to build an alternate physical infrastructure for the internet with p2p dns, wireless mesh networks, encryption built-in, steganography, and anonymity. In fact that is the best way to keep the old internet relatiely free.

August 04, 2011

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Thank you for the argument. It's excellent. Bullying does continue without privacy, yet the state authority needs identities like air. And, while your argument might find a huge opposition - the US has a far worse record than any arab country when it comes to killing, torturing or just gagging the opposition. Actually, it's a matter of numbers - the americans are almost all online, even with more accounts and devices per individual and islamist extremists are only a few and usually don't have access to power and water so who cares about the Internet?

August 04, 2011

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"As the Americans learned so painfully in Earth's final century, free
flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The
once-chained people whose leaders at last loosen their grip on
information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free
nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its
rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to
information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master."
— Commissioner Pravin Lal (Alpha Centauri)

August 07, 2011

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Does To ever share a user's IP to authorities? If yes, in what cases?
If not, can a goverment find the real IP of a Tor user?

Thank You

We don't have the IP address of tor users, nor do we have any sort of collection process to get demographics of our users. There is no registration process to get and/or use tor.

August 08, 2011

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Off topic: I have Tor running on a different PC. I want to blend in better to preserve my privacy. How can I use the bundle without vidalia?