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March 4, 2013 By Colin Wood
A bill before the Illinois General Assembly that proposed eliminating online anonymity will be withdrawn, the bill's author announced Feb. 21, following opposition from online communities and harsh criticism from Internet analysts.
Intended to combat cyberbullying, Illinois Senate Bill 1614, introduced by Sen. Ira Silverstein, proposed the creation of the “Internet Posting Removal Act.” The act would have compelled website administrators to remove comments, upon request, unless a poster attached his real name, a confirmed IP address and physical home address with the website. In addition to being a logistical nightmare, as many pointed out, Andrew Sellars, staff attorney at the Digital Media Law Project, encapsulated the objections of many when he wrote, “the entire premise of this bill is fundamentally repugnant to the First Amendment and may actually harm those that it is likely intended to help protect.”
Before backtracking on the legislation, Silverstein told the Chicago Sun-Times, “It really has to do with cyberbullying. The Internet is a great thing, and everyone is for it. Saying something is one thing, but once you put it on the Internet, it’s there forever.” Introduced on Feb. 13, the bill survived just eight days before Silverstein announced he would retract it.
The Internet has deep roots in anonymity and most past attempts to betray that history, including Silverstein's legislation, have been soundly thwarted. Last year, Google attempted to bring some civility to the comments section of YouTube by announcing that all users would be required to post under their real names. After facing opposition similar to that seen toward Sen. Silverstein's bill, Google changed their policy to make the use of one's real name optional. Predictably, comments on YouTube have mostly continued in their usual anonymous and sometimes profane fashion.
But this wasn't the first time the idea of a non-anonymous Internet has appeared and it likely won't be the last. In fact, one analyst said, over the next few decades there will be a transition toward most online behavior becoming personally attributed.
People or organizations that attempt to remove the element of anonymity from the Internet have good intentions, said Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy for the ACLU of Illinois, but they sometimes don't think through the potential impact of compromising online anonymity. “We have always taken a very strong position in supporting and protecting the right of anonymous speech," Yohnka said. "That anonymous speech does a number of important things and plays a number of important roles, oftentimes in terms of whistleblowers and things of that nature.”
According to Gartner Research Director Brian Blau, rumor has it that Sony, too, will implement a non-anonymity policy for the upcoming release of their new gaming system, the PlayStation 4, requiring users of the system's online gaming network to use their real names. And Facebook, one of the most culturally influential websites on the Internet, actively fights anonymity online by removing fake profiles or profiles with fake names.
The online trend, Blau said, is toward Facebook's way of doing things, even despite public opposition to bills like the one proposed by Sen. Silverstein. “I don't think it's going to happen in the short term but over the longer term, I'm talking years and even decades, I think that situation is going to change,” Blau said. “In fact, any of your online behavior is going to be attributed back to you. It's not just going to be video games, it's going to be everything.”
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The Gartner Group has long since lost credibility because their research conveniently supports whoever is paying their bill. They are about as neutral as a super-PAC in election season. Generally people who want to remove anonymity are NOT doing it for good intentions. They are doing it so that they can track down a person, bully them, punish them, or use their data for their own reasons. Facebook has made a fortune selling people's real names, addresses, and other information to the highest, or even lowest bidder. And we've seen exactly how would-be employers, stalkers, and politicians use the information on Facebook to stifle free-speech, victimize posters, and create a Big-Brother mentality. It's only a matter of time until the abuse of people on Facebook becomes so egregious that there will be a backlash against them and the politicians who encourage the abusive tactics.
In a small village, people were finding things missing each morning. Nobody could figure out who was taking those things. Apparently someone was sneaking around in the dark of night taking them. Later they found all those things in the backroom of a shack but don't know who put them there. That's anonymity. And that's what good it is. By creating 100% accountability for each and every single person that goes online, it would eliminate stalkers, illegal downloading, useless and disgusting Youtube videos, porn would be less popular, people wouldn't be posting viruses without being traced, and shady marketing would decrease dramatically. The list keep going. People don't realize that lack of anonymity is what kept the world in line for thousands of years. And because the Internet has become the new "lifestyle" that affects all people in some form or another, anonymity MUST be eliminated from it. Clearly that is the problem that has plagued us from the start. It is a playground for people to behave badly. And they do. As responsible adults, is this what we want our kids doing? If the Internet came in a single paperback book, you think its wise for a child to sit down a read it? Think of all the naked girls and murder photos. Kids are getting corrupted like mad right now all because of some stupid selfish people who want to play anonymously. Getting rid of anonymity would eliminate nearly all problems that the Internet causes.