Is Anonymity Really Necessary?

Here's my take on it...

Anonymity turns (some) perfectly normal people into raging idiots. Long-term, I don't think people should be able to remain *completely* anonymous in SL, nor on the greater internet as a whole.

However, that doesn't mean that we need to tattoo our Social Security or Government ID numbers on our foreheads either.

Its a pendleum swing - and right now its tilted too far on the anonymous side. IMHO - it needs to be in the middle: Just enough so its possible to identify people as unique and make folks responsible for their actions, but not so much so that it becomes impossible to roleplay or put someone at risk for identity theft.

As controversial as they may be, part of the 'method behind the madness' of distributed banlists is to hold people accountable for their actions without needing to reveal their RL identity. In time, I'm sure even better methods will emerge that will help solve the griefing issues that anonymity exasperates.

I'll post the name I go by in RL, but it's not my full name. It's Red. I live in Arkansas, the hicksticks area of Arkansas at that. I'm roughly 15/30 minutes from any city/town and an hour from the capital. Okay, it'd be less than an hour, but traffic is brutal for speeding Oh, and only my parents and sister call me by my full name.. same goes for companies that I do business with.


Those that know me will be able to identify me just from that.

It would be nice to be able to effectively IP ban someone.

oh defenetly

Yet to those who don't know you, you still are guarding your anonymity.

Which I think is a good idea personally.

/me sighs ... the one thing about IRC that I miss. Damn you Hiro! I should spank you!

Chip Matthews
Germantown, Maryland

Craig, Daniel Craig.

/me speeds off into the sunset in my DBS

Promises, promises.

Trout is pretty much me, but with a different name and look. I just wouldn't feel comfortable giving out my RL identity to everyone. It's not that I have something to hide or that I'm afraid of identity thieves or stalkers, it's just that I'm comfortable with who I am in SL, and I'm comfortable with the people I hang out with being who they are.

For example, I'm going out on a limb and guessing Lindal's first name in RL isn't actually Lindal. Mine isn't Trout; Bilbo's isn't likely to be Bilbo, Oryx might be Oryx, but I doubt it, etc... But we call each other that and can be friends in SL without knowing much more than what we answer to and that our individual personalities are compatible. I know I enjoy our conversations and and the time we spend hanging out in SL, and that's fine with me. I know people by the life they lead in SL, and I'm happy that it can be any kind of life they want it to be without having to worry about what sort of RL they have to lead.

I guess the answer is no, I wouldn't want to be a part of a virtual world like SL if I couldn't be anonymous.

Edit: George Clooney, Hollywood, California.

difference is also as most public records are up for the grabbing by pritty much anyone

living in holland and if i would even give you my first and city name, you still won`t find me

it`s everyone`s cup of tea if they want to give it or not and to who, discussed to death in the idv/verification thread

I agree, which is why this is the most information I give out in a public forum. *snickers* It's not like many of my RL friends know my 'real' name anyways

Linden Labs knows who I am and which are my avatars. That's enough for me.

I'm not going to comment on the black list thing, so don't worry.


I see a considerable difference between anonymity in general in SL, and things like verification.

I could also see the need for linking avatars together, though I really think non grid attack griefing is the most overblown hype there is.

I can see why you shouldnt be anonymous to Linden Labs.

I just cant see why you should have to reveal your RL info to people you meet inside of Second Life.

There is a difference between LL knowing RL identities, which they do to some extent anyway with premium and other payment detailed residents, and the availability of the ID info to other residents. I think that RL info, if held, should only be made available to another resident in the case of a serious and credible dispute.

Good topic....

I think it all depends on your reasoning behind joining a virtual community in the first place. A lot of folks I meet are very open about who they are.....that isn't to say they give out last names or emails ... it's just they are not trying to 'hide'. I don't try to hide who I am....cause I'm not in it for role play or to pretend to be what I'm not. That's just a personal choice. I certainly pass no judgement on anyone for the choices they make with regards to anonymity.

I have been involved in other web communites that had tight restrictions on giving and getting personal info. I have made wonderful RL friends as a result too. I honestly believe the key factor is the individual's instincts. Hard to explain....other than to say I have always had very good instincts about other people.....even over the web.

An example is a few years back while I was very active in a web forum.... there was a new member that everyone accepted into the fold. She(?) was quite flirty and a bit of an instigator.....and something about her posts raised a red flag with me immediately....I can't say what it was.... I just 'felt' something was very wrong....so I simply did not respond to anything she posted on any discussions.

She managed to get everyone's hackles raised and after a lot of drama and accusations and bla bal bla....it was discovered by one of the moderators that she was, in fact, someone else who had been kicked off the boards a while back. All i could do was shake my had at the gullability of the other folks (ok, a couple did feel the same way as me) and wonder at how intelligent people can be so easily decieved.

Ya can't teach good gut instincts.....and I mean no insult to anyone who has been taken for a ride, or had a stalker. These things happen outside the internet too.....and quite a bit more frequently, actually. My cousin had a stalker (she never had any involvement with web forums, she is NOT a computer person in that sense).....we have no idea who he was or how he found out who she was or where she lived.....but it happens..... unless we choose to live the life of recluse.....there's always gonna be the wackos and freaks that target people. I don't fear the internet any more than I fear walking out my door and having a chat with a friendly stranger.....hell I'm liable to reveal more information to someone on the street in a random friendly chat.....then I am in here. The risk is no different. All I can do is rely on my gut.... and thank my rather emotionally traumatic childhood for giving me such good survival skills with regards to human behavior.

But no....I would not join any virtual community that 'required' total identity verification. There's no need for that... not for entertainment purposes... that's just inviting potential trouble.

www.newarteest.com

I suppose I'm in a very different situation than most people in SL though. While others have mentioned in this thread not wanting their RL employers to connect them with their SL persona, in my case I teach digital art and want the schools I work for to know I sell animations in SL.


Yeah, whether or not I know a person's RL name, the conversations I have in SL are generally half about our real lives (people talking about where they're from, complaining about troubles at home/work, that kind of thing.)

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't put your RL full name on your in world profile or in your place of business in SL either.

I tell people I know in SL the city/metro I live in and my RL first name without too much concern. but thats about it.

I don't feel any particular need or entitlement to know anyone's real life identity. If you aren't griefing me or attempting to defraud me I really don't care who anyone is. For me it's just about accountability. With easy internet access at cafes, disposable emails, anonymous signups, and on and on, the internet facilitiates disposable identities which by their nature enable much of the horrible behavior that people are afraid of revealing their own identities in order to avoid. It's a double edged sword. I can argue on either side of the issue. In general I'm a huge advocate of the right to privacy.

Are you against anonymity in Second Life?

For me, it's just a matter of wanting privacy in my RL. I have 2 children, and I've talked of them before on these forums, but that doesn't mean I want to post more personal information that could lead someone to figure out where I live, and invite the interest of someone unsavory. I wouldn't just be endangering myself, but my family also. My husband uses his RL first name as his SL first name. I didn't do that, but have no problem telling someone that my RL first name is Kelly. Doesn't narrow it down much, that's a pretty common RL name. It's posted on my profile here that I'm from Pennsylvania, which is a pretty big state, so no danger there. I could also safely say that my RL home is relatively close to the town where the amish girls were shot by that fruitcake last year. (I think it was last year, or actually now that it's January, it was late 2005). Therefore, I can speak of that incident or other local incidents that made national (and some international) news, but still not giving away my exact location. Yes, I live in Lancaster County, PA........which is a pretty scattered and large county. That way, if I wanted to discuss things like arriving late to work because I was behind 3 Amish buggies, as opposed to being late because I was stuck in 6 lanes of rush hour traffic, I can, without revealing enough to give my location away. Small details like that don't bother me to reveal them, but anything more specific is a no-no to me. Just my opinion, though. YMMV

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I'm personally very happy being anonymous. It lends an air of mystery and intrigue into an otherwise fairly dull life (at the moment anyway.)

One reason for anonymnity which I haven't seen mentioned is job security. Back when I was in the military, I had a top secret security clearance. You think that if I was running around playing Gor here in SL as my real self, that would fly? Hell no. And how awkward would it be to run into your boss in SL as you were currently in the form of an ice queen succubus? I mean, 99% of everything I do in SL is rated G but even meeting my boss at a live music venue in SL would be a bit strange.

Hi Trout,

I guess that's pretty much where I am at the moment.

Even so, I have noticed a tendency across the web to insist on identity verification, from web sites using digital certificates and email accounts using digital signatures.

I even read recently that virtual environments like SL and WoW are talking about an open identity system, which will mean you're avatar/online persona will remain the same across whatever world you log into. Whether that actually happens or not is another matter.

I've even noticed a backlash against the anonymous email account providers. I work in IT and new websites often won't allow hotmail etc to be used during registration.

This doesn't mean that we'll be required to walk around with our name, address, DOB and inside leg measurement stamped to our forehead..

I think we are heading towards a one-to-one relationship between an individual and his/her online identity. Certainly a place where cases of online defamation and contractual issues will be easier to pursue.

As someone who loves SL, I do worry sometimes that our insistance on full anonymity will relegate SL to a small backwater where serial cyber adulterers and RL-phobic people hang out.

Not that there's anything wrong with that obviously

okay

So your fine with someone having their privacy. But you like to speak about rl things.

My point was those who want to take others anonymity away should be perfectly willing to reveal their RL details at the drop of a hat.

If they are not, then they are being hypocritical.

If someone is guarded about their identity but is are against others having any similar guarded protections, they lack any sort of credibility on the subject.

Eek! My Resident Geek is an NRA lifetime member!

Perhaps I should start looking through his closet. I *DID* wonder where that old tutu got off too...