Should anonymity on the Web disappear?

Pseudonyms were not born with the Internet. Authors have previously used pen names to avoid having their civil identity known or for female writers wanting to pose as men in order to be published. In short, hiding under a false name is nothing new. Yet, the Internet has made it possible more than ever and the majority of us live by "pseudonymity" online as this technology youtuber reminds us.

Or, it comes with its qualities and flaws. The current situation allows problematic individuals to harass and threaten public figures without risk to themselves since no one can identify them. On the other side, preventing anonymity could hinder the freedom of expression of some people who would not dare to speak out in a healthy way online for fear of being targeted.

Not to mention that countries that do not allow oppositional expression are not known for leaving much room for criticism... On the other hand, the actions of harassers should indeed be stopped. Yet, as he reminds us, the French police can trace the IP and information of an Internet user (provided he does not use a virtual private network) but still they have to take the complaints seriously.

Bref, the camps for and against have serious arguments on each side as he acknowledges by not taking a stand. A universal solution seems hard to imagine, however, since each website would have to agree on a way to have both data and a well-identified pseudonym.

Time: 10min47

Image: Igor Link / Pixabay