On the Internet, People Should Know If You’re a Dog*

Anonymity on the Internet, while great for whistleblowers and free speech, does more harm than good by shielding creeps and criminals, says ForbesÂ’s Victoria Murphy Barret. Anonymity has been a part of the Internet since its earliest incarnation in the late 1960s as a network that could relay text messages after a nuclear attack. Vinton Cerf, who helped devise Internet protocols still in use today, says he wishes he had devised ways to authenticate computers and users.

Initially, anonymity was crucial to the InternetÂ’s success as a forum. It allowed the powerless and oppressed to discuss their problems online without fear of reprisal. In Zimbabwe, an anonymous blog has allowed Zimbabweans to publish things that would incur the death penalty.

However, anonymity also allows people to insult, harass, and to pursue grudges against others. Sex offenders can chat with unwitting children thanks to it. Crowds of nameless Internet users can make vague threats to bloggers. Ms. Barret says the harm that anonymity causes needs somehow to be addressed, even if it means less freedom. There are some signs that Internet companies are independently decreasing free-wheeling anonymity to make users more accountable for their actions. Social networking site Facebook, for instance, keeps scores of people flirting with (”poking”) too many users or those over 18 who send a lot of emails to kids.

— Robin Moroney

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