If a newspaper decides that it only allows comments from those who identify themselves, then that's fine with me. It is their paper and their decision... and there will never be a shortage of places where one can be anonymous. Whenever I am unlucky enough to read a few comments on youtube, I usually end up wishing for an asteroid to wipe us off this planet.
Internet trolls, anonymity and The First Amendment
- Thread starter Thoughtful Thug
- Start date
These are my thoughts exactly.
dIZZyBlIZZy
Batteries not included
I think you hit the nail on the head. But this thread has talked a good bit about forum posts and similar as well. I believe in being able to remain anonymous in posting. Having said that, I also like people who view my posts to know certain things about me (where I live, how I make my living, these sort of general things). This gives people a way to get a certain type of demographic standing on certain issues. While this may reinforce some stereotypes it also eliminates others.
katipunero
Prince
for me taking away the ability to be anonymous when posting online is not really a free speech issue. it's more a matter of endangering privacy where a poster is unnecessarily thrust into the public light for saying things in the internet using his real name.
imagine a person who says ignorant and offensive comments. when the internets learn of his real ID and other personal circumstances, there's no saying what endless ridicule, mockery and harassment he might be exposed to. the worse thing is, the insults and criticism, even defamation, are all fair game now that that poster has become a "public figure" or an unfortunate "news item" of the day.
imagine a person who says ignorant and offensive comments. when the internets learn of his real ID and other personal circumstances, there's no saying what endless ridicule, mockery and harassment he might be exposed to. the worse thing is, the insults and criticism, even defamation, are all fair game now that that poster has become a "public figure" or an unfortunate "news item" of the day.
aimeeandbeatles
watermelon
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2007
- Messages
- 20,112
Or suppose that this real-name thing happens and some kid posts something that's sort of ignorant when he's still 18 or 19. He might change his mind later but employers might hold it against him.
Verarde
Pondering Wearing A Hat
Good point. Which is why I'm extra careful on Facebook, and Twitter.
dIZZyBlIZZy
Batteries not included
Yes, but how typical is it for an employer to actually, check that sort of thing? If one was to pry like that, would Facebook be more likely [where most use their real name anyway (at least on the primary account)]?
It's not out of the ordinary. If you hire someone you have some dirt on, that gives you some pretty powerful leverage in the employer-employee relationship.
dIZZyBlIZZy
Batteries not included
I didn't elaborate well on what I was trying to ask. A lot of employers do check facebook and twitter for that reason, but I've never heard of them checking around on a forum board.
Depends on how much they want to dig.
aimeeandbeatles
watermelon
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2007
- Messages
- 20,112
The problem is with the real-name thing all an employer has to do is Google the name in quotes and you'll come up with near everything.
dIZZyBlIZZy
Batteries not included
Did that before, the best I found was a will of a man who shared my name and state of residence that died in 1843 (not related, noone on my dad's side got stateside til 1906). Apparently his widow got the house and each of the 9 or so kids got a slave of the same gender and a piece of furniture.
aimeeandbeatles
watermelon
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2007
- Messages
- 20,112
I once googled my name (not in quotes though) and I got a school.
Bestbank Tiger
Deity
The owners of a site can do whatever they want. But there are no circumstances in which indentifying yourself should be necessary. If you troll, they can delete the posts and if you become too much of a problem they can lower the banhammer.
If you do something criminal like threaten to kill the President, they can trace your IP.
If you do something criminal like threaten to kill the President, they can trace your IP.
aimeeandbeatles
watermelon
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2007
- Messages
- 20,112
But what if you ban an entire IP range and they keep coming back with proxies, and the proxy-blockers don't work?
Bestbank Tiger
Deity
Wikipedia deals with that issue. They ban proxies by IP whenever they find one.
You can't stop a troll altogether, but you can make them work a lot harder, which is enough to make trolling not worth the effort for most people. Plus you're taking a big chance going through a proxy site because a lot of them will infect your computer with malware, which serves as a further deterrent.
BvBPL
Pour Decision Maker
The paper is well within its rights to dictate this policy to the people who post comments on its website. There is nothing wrong with it; indeed the evidence says requiring this improves the quality of discourse. If you don’t want your name associated with your comments then don’t post there. It is not as though there will suddenly be no place on the internet for anonymous handles. Being asked to post your real name on a newspaper’s website isn’t an infringement of your rights because you do not have a right to post there in the first place; your ability to do is granted through a revocable privilege.
Then don’t post anything you don’t want associated with your own name. I’m really fascinated by today’s trend of giving away privacy through services like Facebook and blogs. It will be really interesting to see the Facebook generation start to run for Congress or try to obtain security clearances in the future. So many people have already hung albatrosses around their necks for posting absurdities under their Facebook accounts.
Indeed, the case can be made that employers have a duty to look into one’s internet activity. The things people post of their own free will are supposedly representative of themselves after all.
-Jesse Rooney
Then don’t post anything you don’t want associated with your own name. I’m really fascinated by today’s trend of giving away privacy through services like Facebook and blogs. It will be really interesting to see the Facebook generation start to run for Congress or try to obtain security clearances in the future. So many people have already hung albatrosses around their necks for posting absurdities under their Facebook accounts.
Indeed, the case can be made that employers have a duty to look into one’s internet activity. The things people post of their own free will are supposedly representative of themselves after all.
-Jesse Rooney
Disgustipated
Deity
I have no desire to use my real name, sorry folks. My first name starts with J though. That should narrow it down.
It's far to easy to find my address from just my name. There are people out there that may kill me for my political views. There are a lot of conservative nutcases out there. No way in hell I'm using my real name on a newspaper forum.
My local newspaper comments section is pretty bad (the RJ one, not the Sun one mentioned in the article). Most people troll the firemen and their ultra high paychecks (over 100K a year) or the police and their tendency to kill everyone on sight.
It's far to easy to find my address from just my name. There are people out there that may kill me for my political views. There are a lot of conservative nutcases out there. No way in hell I'm using my real name on a newspaper forum.
My local newspaper comments section is pretty bad (the RJ one, not the Sun one mentioned in the article). Most people troll the firemen and their ultra high paychecks (over 100K a year) or the police and their tendency to kill everyone on sight.
Vylinius
College Student
Sites do as they will its the second they start asking or trying to get it enforced on everyone else that the uproar would and will begin.
Honestly I love not having my name known. I like that I can post and my post is judged on its merit and not on who it came from. It makes things better in my opinion.
Although, in my case if this ever occurs I have the luck of my name being relatively common and when I look up my name I can't find a single result that includes me in it in any way in a decent number of pages that is.
Edit: 20+ pages and nothing found. Facebook even takes a while to find me. I had to go to a local newspaper to find me in a decent amount of time.
Honestly I love not having my name known. I like that I can post and my post is judged on its merit and not on who it came from. It makes things better in my opinion.
Although, in my case if this ever occurs I have the luck of my name being relatively common and when I look up my name I can't find a single result that includes me in it in any way in a decent number of pages that is.
Edit: 20+ pages and nothing found. Facebook even takes a while to find me. I had to go to a local newspaper to find me in a decent amount of time.
Thoughtful Thug
Deity
I would like to know if there ever been any ruling on whether if any newspaper isn't or is obligated to grant people's rights to post on their website anonymously?
There probably is nothing of that which exist.
I do believe that if any organization wish to broadcast their views on the the internet, they should do so like any other organization that like to discuss controversial matters for the behalf of the public, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters by real identification or anonymously.
I would not be surprised to see how they find a lot of views contrary to theirs as trolling since it is obvious that the Washington Times is in fact a subsidiary of News World Communications, which consists of owners being members of the Unification Church.
Similar threads
