Altro punto di vista sulla questione dell'anonimato in rete. juan carlos -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [IP] An Interesting Engadget Take on the "One Identity" Controversy Date: Tue, 08 Mar 2011 09:54:04 -0500 From: Dave Farber <dfarber@me.com> Reply-To: dave@farber.net To: ip <ip@listbox.com> Begin forwarded message:

*From:* Frederick Lane <fslane3@gmail.com <mailto:fslane3@gmail.com>> *Date:* March 8, 2011 9:09:32 AM EST *To:* Dave Farber <dave@farber.net <mailto:dave@farber.net>>, ip <ip@v2.listbox.com <mailto:ip@v2.listbox.com>> *Subject:* *An Interesting Engadget Take on the "One Identity" Controversy*

Hi Dave --

For IP, if you wish:

As a follow-up to Lauren's recent post, there's an interesting editorial on Engadget about the "one identity" controversy: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/07/editorial-facebook-single-identities-and-....

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 <http://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.

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