Hi Dave --
For IP, if you wish:
Speaking personally, I border on being a First Amendment
absolutist, and prefer more speech to less. As is so often the
case, Justice Brandeis puts it best: ""If there be time to
expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to
avert the evil by the process of education, the remedy to be
applied is more speech, not enforced silence."
But there are often hidden consequences to the venom spewed
by anonymous blog trolls. I've spent ten years on the
Burlington School Board, and during that time, we've dealt
with some pretty controversial issues. Our local Gannett-owned
paper, The Burlington Free Press, allows anonymous comments,
and the remarks can be surprisingly vicious. I chose to run
for the school board, so I know that a certain amount of
calumny comes with the territory, but the comments have often
attacked non-public officials or groups with an intensity that
I think is due in large part to their anonymity. We have been
working to increase the diversity of our teaching staff in the
District and we have had job candidates tell us that they
seriously questioned whether they should even apply in light
of the tone and content of many of the paper's comments. The
remarks don't reflect the overall tenor of the community, but
they take on a disproportionate importance in the Internet
echo chamber.
By contrast, a neighbor of mine, Michael Wood-Lewis, some
years ago created a neighborhood listserve system called Front
Porch Forum (
www.frontporchforum.com).
It's an award-winning public resource that allows neighbors to
post messages to each other on virtually any topic. He has
enforced a "real identity" policy from the start, and I think
that it has gone a long way towards elevating the tone of the
discussion, even on controversial topics (ranging from the
cost overruns on our local municipal telecom to the
always-popular debate over cat scat).
It's important not to blur the line between government and
private action here. I agree that governments should not be
able to prevent anonymous speech, but it's less clear that
that private businesses can't or even shouldn't. I understand
the need to protect whistle-blowers, certainly, and I agree
that individuals should be able to decide on the persona they
wish to project in a particular environment or forum. But we
could all benefit from a more cordial and gracious society.
Given that there are vast stretches of the Internet that have
not plugged into the Facebook comment system, there is still
ample opportunity for online anonymity. I think that before we
condemn the concept of "one identity" out of hand, it's
worthwhile to see the changes that take place on the sites
that give it a try. I'll be sure to comment ...
Regards,
Fred
--
Frederick Lane is an author, attorney, educational consultant,
expert witness, and lecturer who has appeared on "The Daily
Show with Jon Stewart," CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, the BBC, and
MSNBC. He currently serves as chairman of the Burlington (VT)
School Board. His fifth book, "American Privacy: The
Four-Hundred-Year History of Our Most Contested Right," is now
available in paperback from Beacon Press or the retailer of
your choice. His his sixth book, "CyberTraps for the Young,"
will be published on April 1, 2011.
Phone: 802-318-4604
www.FrederickLane.com
www.ComputerForensicsDigest.com
American Privacy Facebook Page:
http://www.Facebook.com/AmericanPrivacy
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