Online Identity Controversy

Online identity expands real identity is Turkle's third point. The user may choose to be anyone he or she wants in cyberspace. There are no boundaries on who or what a person may be. A user can express many different aspects of his or her personality without being made fun of because no one would know the truth. A man may be a woman because he wants to engage in his feminine side. The other users may not know it is a man because in cyberspace, others only know what it told to them. If a person chooses, he or she may change gender, age, physical characteristics, and such. A fat man can easily become a beautiful woman in a few key strokes. On the other hand, one may express their nonconformities in a safe way and not have to repress them. A user may be blunt and be proud of it without receiving a black eye for it. Therefore, online identity expands real identity.

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

Criminals hide their own identity online; they can also steal yours -- or at least

Over the course of the past few decades, technology has been on a fast track to more advanced opportunities for communication. These developments have increased efficiency in society, however, it is evident that the basic values, such as privacy of personal information, are compromised significantly. Privacy is an essential element of a free society and without which, individuals would lose the ability to interact with one another in private. With the advancements of technology there is a clash between an individuals right to guard their personal information and the power of the cyber world to penetrate that information. Innovative technologies such as various forms of social media and surveillance are invading the freedom to said privacy.

Nojeim, Director of the Project on Freedom, Security and Technology at the Center for Democracy and Technology stated, “Approaches
 to
 cybersecurity 
that
 would
 eliminate 
pseudonymous 
and
 anonymous 
speech
 online
 would
 put 
privacy 
at
 risk, chill
 free
 expression
 and
 erode 
the 
Internet’s essential 
openness. As 
the
 founders
 of 
our 
country 
recognized,
 anonymity
 and 
pseudonymity 
play 
essential
 roles
 in 
allowing 
political
 views 
to 
be 
aired.
” So while the key to online privacy may be pseudonymity, what happens when this key is abused? If no laws enforcing boundaries for pseudonyms online are created, can criminals keep hiding behind fraudulent online

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

The technology of today has provided a new way for our voices to be heard. Whether it be an opinion on the color of pants a celebrity is wearing, or who you feel makes the strongest case in the democratic debate, anonymity on the internet has legitimized every opinion and made a way for them to be voiced. With the voicing of opinions comes the voicing of opposition. It is likely that if you have ever been involved with a social media platform, you have been a victim, or a witness, of internet trolling. Maybe you’ve even been the troll. The question is, when does anonymity stop benefitting the diverse culture of online conversation and step foot over the line into cyberbullying and harassment? There are many differing opinions on this matter,

Online privacy is a major problem facing many people today. The major problem is that our privacy is being invaded and being used for other personal needs. Not only that but it is harming you in more ways than you know. For example it could affect your social security, lost job opportunities, and denial of insurance.

(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

There are countless issues that have risen from people being anonymous. Some of these issues like have led people to end their life. We bring up the issues and leave them floating in the air like pollen in the summer. We have to stop anonymity so our citizens can feel safe when they use the internet. Anonymity leads to issues like cyber bullying of teenagers, our women being attacked online, and even Catfishing.

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.

On a very popular college gossip website called juicycampus.com, students could hide behind the “anonymity mask” posting anything they wanted while remaining anonymous to other users. This obviously had some consequences. Female students where being called sluts, whores and even their personal information such as their addresses and phone numbers were being given away on this website. Male students were being called jerks and some were said to have STD’s. Whether this was true or not, nobody should have to know

Internet privacy is the security of a user’s personal data that is stored or published on the internet. The internet is an important part of every individual’s daily life. In today’s society, the internet is used by many different people for many reasons. It can be used for research, communication, and purchasing items. Without the internet, many things that are completed during the course of a day would be impossible or take time to complete. As people use the internet, everything is stored in a database that tracks and keeps any personal information that is entered by users. As users continue to use the internet to complete important tasks such as purchasing items and paying bills, their privacy and security become at risk. Although the internet can be seen to have a positive impact on society, it does have a negative impact. Since the internet can be accessed by anybody it can cause a lot of damage. Examples of internet risk include identity thieves, phasing, and scams. Due to things such as online shopping, banking and other e-commerce options, personal information is stored in the internet enabling many cybercrimes to occur. Cybercrimes are very similar to any regular crime; the crime just happens to take place on websites for criminals to hack and steal user’s information for their own personal benefit. Cybercriminals tend to attack users based on their emails, social media accounts, and web history because the most history about an individual is stored in those sites.

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

There are dangers of online communication such as social networks where users can lie about who they are [4]“Megan thought she was being abused by 16-year-old Josh Evans, she was actually talking to Lori Drew, the 49-year-old mother of one of her former friends who, it is alleged, had set up a fake profile to taunt Megan.” in social networking sites it is very easy for people to