angela_c: blog 
angela's blog
never assume you'll remain anonymous
Published Sep. 2, 2009Views: 1598
That's essentially the message in this post on NPR.org today, by Kevin Whitelaw.
The headline reads: "Gotcha! Why Online Anonymity May Be Fading" and here is an excerpt. Click on the link above to read it in it's entirety.
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When Rosemary Port, a New York blogger, used her anonymous posts to call a New York fashion model a "skank" and a "ho," she had no idea that her name would soon be plastered across the pages of the New York Post.
In Port's case, it took a court order to reveal her identity, but the Internet, which gained a reputation for being an anarchic and wild place in its early years, is becoming less and less anonymous in many ways.
Some of the change is cultural. Users have been flocking to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, where they voluntarily share all kinds of details about their lives.
In some ways, the meteoric success of these sites could be a reaction to anonymous blogs and public comment boards, which can often devolve into name-calling and polemics. (A famous Internet axiom called Godwin's Law holds that the longer an online discussion continues, the higher the odds that someone one will compare somebody else to a Nazi.)
"The nasty anonymous world is certainly still there, but I think people are trying to create protected spaces where they are a little more insulated from that," says Mary Madden, a senior research specialist at the Pew Internet and American Life Project. "It is becoming increasingly difficult to think about being completely anonymous."
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GOLO member since February 14, 2008
September 2, 2009 4:24 p.m.
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September 2, 2009 4:25 p.m.
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September 2, 2009 4:25 p.m.
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September 2, 2009 4:25 p.m.
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September 2, 2009 4:26 p.m.
Most however get a good chuckle from me.
GOLO member since October 17, 2007
September 2, 2009 4:26 p.m.
GOLO member since December 15, 2007
September 2, 2009 4:27 p.m.
GOLO member since January 20, 2008
September 2, 2009 4:28 p.m.
September 2, 2009 4:40 p.m.
GOLO member since January 30, 2008
September 2, 2009 4:46 p.m.
GOLO member since July 4, 2007
September 2, 2009 4:51 p.m.
GOLO member since January 2, 2008
September 2, 2009 5:00 p.m.
GOLO member since January 2, 2008
September 2, 2009 5:01 p.m.
I doubt it, my comment was just a joke ;)
GOLO member since March 30, 2009
September 2, 2009 5:01 p.m.
That is soooooooo true. Especially in a forum where certain members take a demented pride in number of "promotions" and multiple I.D.s such as we are inundated with here on GOLO. Maybe they see it as a badge of honor to be 'bad boys and bad girls'...I don't usually see it all thanks to Iggie.
GOLO member since September 1, 2007
September 2, 2009 5:47 p.m.
GOLO member since July 2, 2007
September 2, 2009 5:48 p.m.
GOLO member since September 1, 2007
September 2, 2009 5:48 p.m.
No biggie.
GOLO member since November 26, 2007
September 2, 2009 6:56 p.m.
It seems that there are some on here more than a little ahead of the learning curve on this one.
ANd taking this one step further, since we know some GOLO users have gathered away from the main site to escape WRAL's moderation efforts, then the WRAL management must also be ahead of the curve in dealing with negativity and nastiness. That said, I think congratulations are in order, Angela! GOOD JOB!
GOLO member since April 10, 2008
September 2, 2009 8:42 p.m.
Now it's a virus. Windows has backdoor access. People can insert a worm into your email and sneak a look at who you are WHOIS or your terminal and accounts.
My question if we are demanding people to say who they are; will the Media be forced to use their REAL names and not fictional names they tend to use on screen/radio? Fair is fair, it can't be one sided.
September 2, 2009 9:27 p.m.
The Internet world has gotten smaller, and people need to learn what it and is not a libel issue. I have also read recently about smaller hosting companies being sued for releasing Registrar information publicly without a court order (I believe a company also lost their licensing to sell domain names).
It is time in ways for the internet to grow up but it is even MORE time for people to educate themselves about law and what one can and cannot "do" online. As you know Angela, in our world it changes daily. That's why I have attorneys, accountants and "good contacts" within the cyber-crime community to consult.
I get amazed at people that participate in social media yet really have no clue what it is about in many ways. Education.
GOLO member since November 11, 2008
September 2, 2009 10:29 p.m.
There are ways to deal with things without becoming the same, yourself.
GOLO member since July 16, 2008
September 3, 2009 11:38 a.m.
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September 3, 2009 7:27 p.m.
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September 3, 2009 10:45 p.m.
GOLO member since July 3, 2007
September 4, 2009 1:01 a.m.
GOLO member since July 3, 2007
September 4, 2009 1:05 a.m.
Most of my online presence isn't anonymous, anyway, as I use the 'net to promote my small business...So with that in mind, I do have to be careful what I post.
September 4, 2009 10:11 p.m.
GOLO member since July 26, 2007
September 6, 2009 9:12 a.m.
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September 16, 2009 6:09 a.m.
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