
Anonymity vs. Real Identity - chrissaad
http://chrissaad.com/professionalblog/2014/3/anonymity-vs-real-identity
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amirmc
Sure, people want different facets of themselves on different apps/platforms.
But those apps/platforms get _bought and sold_ along with the content and the
facet of yourself that you put there.

Ergo, I disagree that we don't have a problem. It's just in a different form
and involves the business models both companies and users have become used to
(e.g free, ad-supported, etc). For the moment, there are still no viable
systems people could move to so they just have to deal with what they get (or
disengage).

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EGreg
There is data and there are views.

Self-expression in a particular app doesn't mean that you shouldn't have
control over the underlying data you publish, and easily transfer it between
apps. Already, many apps such as Tinder ask for your FB account and import
your photos. But the import is still limited, and hardly any information is
contributed back.

Just like MVC separates data, from views, so too the "apps" should take your
data from one place which you control. This place shouldn't be a centralized
social network, it should be an open-source server.

In this way, people can upload and manage their own videos, photos, and more.
They can then give access to others (friends, etc.) as well as to apps (via
OAuth) through their own server. If some of their data streams (e.g. a blog or
a video) become popular, then the person pays for more hosting.

The age of centralized services that can go down and present juicy targets to
the NSA is temporary. Just like open source systems like git and mercurial
disrupted centralized version control systems, so too will the centralized web
services eventually be disrupted. The web was originally meant to be
decentralized, and it will be again.

Disclaimer: My company, Qbix, has been building the underlying (open source)
platform for this exact thing in the last 3 years. And we have had to deal
with a lot of issues surrounding identity, privacy, and individual control.
Here are some links:

[http://magarshak.com/blog/?p=135](http://magarshak.com/blog/?p=135)

[http://magarshak.com/blog/?p=114](http://magarshak.com/blog/?p=114)

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wudf
I like anonymity because it puts a focus on what you say rather than who you
are

~~~
jason_wang
Unfortunately a subset of the population likes to hide behind their anonymity
and act nasty to others.

~~~
nieve
Unfortunately an even larger subset of the population doesn't need anonymity
to act nasty to others, while their victims often need it to prevent it
escalating. Google's attempts to force real names on Youtube comments to
reduce spam and bad behavior have been... less than impressive in effect. In a
lot of discussions if you force real names you ensure that those with the most
to lose (and often the most at stake) are also the most vulnerable.

Even presuming that counter to actual experience the generic trolls are
deterred by a real names policy, there are others who become a much bigger
problem when they've got access to real identities. Why do you think doxing is
considered such a big thing? SWATing, offline stalking, physical assault, etc.
are all risks as soon as a harasser has your info. Even worse when you're
talking about something like domestic violence support groups there's a very
real danger of the abuser escalating if they discover the victim has been
talking to other people. That's 2.1 million people in the US alone who report
physical assault by a partner in a single year who could really use access to
resources without revealing themselves.

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yuhong
I am not a fan of real name policies either and it is one of the reasons why I
mentioned before that Vic Gundotra should probably be fired.

