Anonymity on the Internet

Anonymity in the Internet

Anonymity on the Internet

Limit anonymity for Internet critics- by Edward Wasserman (Journalism Ethics)

I agree with the standing decision of channeling providers of network services to strengthen the way they manage information that the users publish. This suggests that privatized Internet censorship should be done by companies providing network services. All service providers across the world must responsibly restrict access to a wide variety of illegal content described broadly and enacted in order to restrict hate speech. This should reflect the position of the official government: it must incorporate information, which the government considers very politically sensitive. This move was made to strengthen efforts of increased pressure suppressing private companies to limit the further use of search engines, social media, and key online other tools.

Additionally, companies must be able to provide the virtual private networks evading the great boundaries of identification policy on expansion of interference to the use Internet services. The virtual private networks can allow users to safeguard their conversations over the Internet connection. Virtual private networks enable ordinary users, business, and journalists to encode Internet traffic and escape the filtering system of China. Social media has grown to incredible levels across international levels thus developing into a public accountability device. However, the new Internet controls are not being practiced across many nations. In my opinion, if the government is very much serious on their fight to rampant corruption, it is not supposed to shut down whistleblower and the ordinary citizens, or register companies to represent them on their duties. Instead, the government should be able to protect the right of citizens to freedom of speech and guard their identities online.

Another mantra closely related to Internet anonymity is that it is very coherent and unstable that anyone can use it for purposes, either good or evil. They may be chaotic, but they may also have a good reason like Robin Hood, and with it comes chaotic evil. We have people in this world who are always evil minded as noted. Even though there have been a variety of incidents enough to be termed as uncharacteristically un-anonymous or an individual led. This gloom and doom prophecy of chaos let loose by a hacker with evil intentions remains unfulfilled largely. However, it becomes visible in the anxieties of the public anonymous as extensively dangerous in need for a spelunking mission. Evidently, the government should enact identity policies to alter the negative intentions of anonymous Internet users in due time before they split the earth into two.

Why The Herald is changing its commenting policy by Aminda marques Gonzalez (The Miami Herald), posted sat, Feb. 09. 2013

We have had a long struggle with this dichotomy. We need readers who give in their letters to the editor alongside providing their full names, telephone numbers, and address. In the meantime, those who are only commenting should only include their email address as it is commonly known. Two different results are produced by this two-tiered approach. Through print, people have carefully expressed their perspectives and signed with the author. In a variety of circumstances, anonymous posts published online are decentralized into a volley of nicknaming. Any corrosive comment would not be printed in pages of the Miami Herald. My belief is that they are not to make appearances on any website. First, those readers who would like to make comments on the stories posted on the website MiamiHerald.com will necessitate signing in to use Facebook account. It is my belief that people wishing to put forward their comments, they should be ready to accompany the comment with their true identification including his/her name.

For a long period, we have been on the struggle with this dilemma. Many users post their comments on stories published online every year, a fundamental town hall that at its level best comes up with vigorous community communications on important issues. Many times, nevertheless, the balanced voices are too scared. A brief visit to a different website elicits concerns because Internet users are posting a variety of sensitive comments without mentioning their identity. Conversely, there are high chances that the few who mention their identity, tend to use a falsified identity. The government has implemented many different systems of commenting in the previous years trying to come up with a safe environment where readers can interact. Similarly, the government can bellicosely keep track of the posts to depict and evict the spoilers. Nevertheless, those who are determined to making use of that space as a blank wall with verbal graffiti proceed to harden the capability of cleaning up. They come up with another alias.

Those who have accounts on Facebook use their real identities, and many readers already have accounts. Currently, a quarter of Internet service users use their Facebook accounts. Those who are not lucky to have an existing account can create new ones simply free. For those who wish to send and share news tips anonymously, the government has already developed a forum for them just at the top of the comment unit for this respective purpose. We are well informed with the fact that the move on Facebook commenting is not the resolution to the whole controversy. Some users still have the instincts to create new accounts filling in fake information about their identities.

Review of Why Anonymity Exists and Works on Newpaper's Web Sites by Steve Yelvington (Nieman Reports: Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard)

As many newspapers continue to embrace online and print operations, editors in print media are increasingly facing a new world that is strange; whereby all the familiar rules and regulations are being broken. Letters that are being directed to the editor, and are in print must have a signature and stories must be in news form; identify the sources, except for areas with different specifications. When newspapers go online, persons in chat sessions, comments, or forums tag themselves by communicating through abusive and injurious languages.

Newspapers are supposed to conduct their website in this manner. If there is a necessity of names being put in print, similarly identity policies should apply to online publications. This means that ethical and moral concerns are absent.