Just one question, where in the first amendment does it say free speech is an anonymous right?
It's one thing to affirm it's the nature of the web and yadda,yadda, but to wrap up hateful and harassing speech into something as noble as "free speech" is a bit of a stretch.
If free speech is such a noble human right then why be afraid to claim ownership of it?
Or maybe everyone on the web is all about rights without responsibility?
Pretty shallow stance IMO.
-Cpilot
That's part of what I was originally trying to say: In a way, I think it would be good to require your real name, just like most sites require a real e-mail address. But I also don't like the idea of everyone everywhere knowing my name. I'd rather it be hidden from everyone, also like most sites that require a real e-mail address.
Then again, if John Q. Public makes a fan website with a little forum about how great Xbox is, I don't see the point in it requiring real information from me. Just like when I go to a store and buy something, I don't need to tell them my name and address and phone number.
A lot of stores these days will ask for your phone number for some reason. I just tell them they can't have it. Obviously if I'm buying something with a credit/debit card, the card will contain information leading back to who I am. But that's all done through my bank. The store doesn't keep a record of my card number and bank details, and therefore have no direct way of knowing who I am.
I don't really need to be anonymous, but in the information age where any idiot/wacko/criminal who knows how to run Google can find nearly any bit of information, I'd rather keep most of my personally identifying information private. I'll gladly attribute anything I say to my username, but I don't want just anybody to find out who I am or where I live.
The world is smaller than it was when the Declaration of Independence was signed. There are a lot more people in our lives than there were then. That means a lot more idiots and wackos out there who might do something stupid just because they disagree with me. In the old small-town lifestyle, criminals and wackos were basically run out of town. These days they are protected. I say keep my information away from them!
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I expected something lame and unsatisfactory, but I didn't expect nothing at all.
