The danger of ‘real names’?
by adam.joinson
TechCrunch reports that MySpace is now encouraging users to post their real names to their profiles. This is quite a shift – like many sites, MySpace used to refer to a ‘screen name’ rather than ‘real name’. At the same time, Facebook is rolling out Facebook Connect to authenticate blog comments. Comment posters can sign on using their Facebook login details, and their real name is automatically added to the comment (photo as well, it seems). On the TechCrunch blog, the majority of the feedback is anti-anonymity and pro-real names.
As a trend, it worries me for a number of reasons. First, we should be careful of the exchanges that occur when we allow, say, Facebook, to become our de facto identity verification service online. Yes, we gain something (easy access to a blog commenting facility), but what information is transferred back to the ID verifier? Second, I doubt many people are that security conscious when it comes to their social networking site passwords – how often are they changed, for instance? Third, anonymous speech is a social good – not only to protect people from censure, ridicule or interference (or worse), but also because it can encourage people to be risky, creative, unpopular, principled, to think (and to say) the unspeakable / unthinkable.