Can you imagine what the Internet would be like if you had to register with the government? If you had to use your real name every time you left a comment on a web site? And if companies and government agencies could haul you into court over something you wrote online?
Anonymity is part of the Internet’s DNA. It’s what makes it such a vibrant, raucous and ever-growing community.
You’d think this was obvious but lawmakers in New York want to change all that, forcing online commenters to use their real names or remove their “offensive” comments. I’m quoted in this AOL Government article on the madness of this idea.
We might not like what we read online. We may be offended, outraged or just annoyed. But that’s the nature of the online beast that we’ve all come to love.
