Advantages And Disadvantages Of Internet Anonymity

Due to recent events “The Growing Cowardice of Online Anonymity” by Richard Bernstein, strongly resonates with me. In today’s world the internet has pros and cons. Although I believe online anonymity was initially intended to provide a layer of safety to those engaging in the use

The issues raised by Bennett illustrate that the Internet is still in its infancy in terms of how it is best-integrated into society and regulated by the same ethical, social, and legal principles as traditional forms of communications. It is likely that the solution lies, not in the evolution of regulations or in limitations on free speech; rather, the solution is likely to evolve naturally as subsequent generations develop a better and more nearly comprehensive understanding of how to integrate their offline and online identities in ways that maintain their privacy. Meanwhile, the deeper explanation of the contemporary digital communications

In today’s world the internet has pros and cons. Although I believe online anonymity was initially intended to provide a layer of safety to those engaging in the use of the internet (pros), I believe this layer of safety has morphed into something sinister (cons). It is now a shield for cowards and predators hiding behind their computers, waiting to pray on their next victim. For example, an online classified such as Craigslist is a website that prides itself through the use of anonymity in an effort to protect both the seller and the perspective buyer. However, the price for this anonymity comes with great risk for the seller, and is a breeding ground for lurking

Perhaps one of the most instrumental factors in the increasingly problematic adult misogynistic cyber-bullying scenarios is that each individual participating in the harassment is able to do so anonymously. Anonymity allows the online participants of misogynistic cyber-harassment to feel a sense of security from retribution and strips the human traits of empathy and morality from the participants. Phillip Zimbardo, a social psychologist, studies and observes the undressing of empathy and morality seen in individuals participating in anonymous activities (qtd. in Citron 58). Zimbardo concludes, “The study found that the anonymous students delivered twice as much electric shock to subjects as the non-anonymous students” (qtd. in Citron 58).

(McKenna and Bargh, 2000) compares anonymous online behaviour to communicating to a ‘dark room’ in which a person lacks the fear of being seen and thus being more open and self-revealing of their true thoughts and feelings. The altering and hiding of identity

It is important to highlight and explain how we intend deal with crucial issues of the anonymity and protection of our respondents. We aim to use the examples of best practices by ensuring confidentiality and protection. With regard to the anonymity, we intend to encrypt indefinable data (name, address, Email address, telephone no. etc.), using pseudonyms and acronyms, which cannot be directly or indirectly traced back to them. We also intend to put security codes for digital records or by limiting access to these data. Furthermore, we intend to ensure the confidentiality by ensuring whatever their responses (verbally or written) will be kept safe and will not be used against them or their

The words, “Arguing that you don’t care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say” were said by Edward Snowden who is a computer professional in America. Similarly, the essays “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty,” “Web Users Get as Much as They Give,” and “Facebook Is Using You” from Nicholas Carr, Jim Harper, and Lori Andrews respectively points out that the internet privacy is good and bad. However, the articles by Carr and Andrews are based on the negative side of the internet privacy, which means that the internet privacy is not good. On the other hand, Harper’s article is based on the positive side of the internet privacy, which means that the internet privacy is good and scary, but people need to be careful of their own information and browsing histories, and websites. Jim Harper’s essay is more relevant and reasonable than the Nicholas Carr and Lori Andrews’s essays. However, Harper seems more persuasive to readers because he believes that the internet is good if people use it in a right way, whereas Carr and Andrews believe that the internet is not good at all.

Throughout time, privacy and security have been two heavily debated topics. There has always been a struggle to find middle ground between a private environment and a secure environment, but the dawn of technology and the Internet has made this struggle even more difficult. The Internet has drastically decreased the expectation of privacy of any and all individuals that have ever used it. Technology in general can pose a threat to an individual’s physical and virtual security. The Internet has also brought forth a sense of anonymity to those looking to conceal their true identities, some of which plan to commit horrific crimes. Privacy and security go hand in hand, however security is by far the most important.

The concern about privacy on the Internet is increasingly becoming an issue of international dispute. ?Citizens are becoming concerned that the most intimate details of their daily lives are being monitored, searched and recorded.? (www.britannica.com) 81% of Net users are concerned about threats to their privacy while online. The greatest threat to privacy comes from the construction of e-commerce alone, and not from state agents. E-commerce is structured on the copy and trade of intimate personal information and therefore, a threat to privacy on the Internet.

Online communities are no different from communities that you may find elsewhere, but in some cases identities of the users are not revealed. Communities where this is the case it is impossible for individuals to form a meaningful relationship with trust. However, the communities where individuals are not anonymous it is possible for trust to be built between these individuals. This paper is meant to take a Kantian approach with respect to “The Metaphysics of Morals” to identify whether trust within online communities, specifically those that use anonymity such as 4Chan and Reddit, is possible; as well as look at communities where anonymity is not present and how users are able to develop trust, such as Facebook. Through this paper, I will be using Bjorn Myskja’s “The Categorical Imperative and the Ethics of Trust” to look at how anonymity shapes trust in communities. Once I have a developed a firm conclusion on how Kant and Myskja believe trust can be gained, I will analyze the community that does this by not utilizing anonymity, Facebook and Myspace, by observing “Trust and Privacy Concern Within Social Networking Sites: A Comparison of Facebook and MySpace” from the AIS Electronic Library. Once the conclusion has been made as to how an online community develops trust I will look at the Community of 4Chan. This will serve as a starting point for analyzing the communities that utilize anonymity. “4chan and /b/: An

Hiding one’s identity is nothing new. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay authored The Federalist Papers in 1787 under the pseudonym Publius. The ability to communicate anonymously is viewed as part of our basic right to free speech . With the advent of computers and ease of access to the internet, becoming anonymous as never been easier, and is far more reaching than the colonial newspapers of 1787. For some this ease at which we can communicate anonymously is cause for concern. Although we are no longer hiding our identities to promote the ratification of the Constitution, being anonymous still plays a significant role in our society. Online anonymity grants anyone with an internet connection an unbiased voice, regardless of gender, race, or wealth. Without this freedom to online anonymity, many people would not feel free to express themselves or share sensitive information about themselves. In the case of whistleblowing, anonymity also promotes the release of information to help fight government corruption and oppression. Anonymity can also be used as a security measure and prevent unauthorized mining of personal information by not giving access to our real identities. While the ethics behind anonymity can be foggy, multiple ethical frameworks, including duty-based and just-consequentialism, can be used to add clarity to the topic. A duty-based framework stresses the role of duty and respect for persons, including one’s self. While a just-consequentialism

In today’s world, we are all in some way connected to or involved with the internet. We all use different services that we feel either enrich our lives or make them more enjoyable every day, from email to FaceBook, MySpace, and e-commerce. We all take a sort of false comfort in the basic anonymity of the internet; however, when we think about it, that could end up being the single biggest risk to our own safety today. When we typically think of crimes committed against us, we could probably name several: mugging, theft, scams, murder, and rape. For these, things we all take as many necessary steps as we can to help lower the chances of them happening to us because they are on the forefront of our minds. However, most of us don’t take the

Cyberspace is a non-physical environment created by computers interoperating on a network. People can interact in ways that are similar to reality, but does not require physical movement beyond typing. Advanced technology established this parallel world, ‘cyberspace’. This can be convenient for people to chat, shop, share, explore or research online, but it can also be a disadvantage at the same time. The prime examples of the disadvantages are, people are able to create fake, imaginative identities and use it to abuse others and this can lead to serious issues, such as sexual abuse or child grooming; and since, the Internet can be recognised as a parallel world to reality, this discourages people to have face-to-face human interaction. Consequently, cyberspace can be harmful to all people, because there are hardly any restrictions on the Internet. Technology inaugurated this and it is having an inimical influence on the majority of people who have access to the Internet on a daily basis.

President Trump had recently signed a congressional resolution in the repeal for internet privacy and the protection of peoples’ information. This policy was created during the Obama era by the Federal Communications Commission to protect and hide information from certain company providers from using the subscriber’s information. The repeal allows telecommunication companies to track and use the information provided by customers with ease to market and sell to others. Republicans believe these rules during the Obama era were unfair due to the restrictions that was put on broadband providers such as AT&T and Comcast while certain competition or web based companies like Facebook who use the data from those who also sign onto those sites. These same providers had suffered from the backlash of certain statements of the FFC and the rules that were not in effect. There was also the misinformed idea that they were the only ones the law pointed towards when the popular websites are not covered by the same regulations.

The twenty-first-century, where society’s technology is growing rapidly and moving to a world of internet use all day and every day as a mean to communicate with a multitude of people. The use of online communication with other websites or forums has led many individuals to communicate anonymously. On the other hand, more and more individuals are showing up anonymously online to protect their identity. While others hide their true identity to invade people’s privacy or to cause harm. In the recent years, there has been many rising issues with online anonymity that has led to severe damage in people’s lives; therefore, it should be banned from the internet use due to the many drawbacks including, but not limited, to unethical behavior, cyberbullying, hacking, prompting cybercrime, among other harm.