my thoughts exactly. one of the best properties of online discussions is the relative anonymity towards other members. Randi Zuckerbergs statement "I think anonymity on the Internet has to go away" is bullshit, and blatantly ignores the importance an anonymous web has for the efficient distribution of information (esp. if you're living in a country which censors the internet). although real names might increase comment quality, this is at the loss of a much broader range of topics and participants within the discussion. curation of web comments has to happen via a community driven approach like flagging and downvoting.
I think you blatantly overstate the importance of the anonymous web for everyday use. Yes, there are some corner cases where anonymity is an important part of the political process. These are exceedingly rare. Anonymity is used, in virtually all cases, to disconnect speech from consequences. In other words, to be a chickenshit, 'cause you're worried someone you work with might see your hate-filled rant against the blacks.
cause you're worried someone you work with might see your hate-filled rant against the blacks.
... or your sexual orientation...
... or your religion...
... or your non-gender-standard hobby...
... or your name makes you a cultural attack target online...
... or any one of a hundred things that are personal that other people have no business knowing. Sure, using your real name is great if you're strong-willed, relatively safe, and part of the safest demographic on the web.
This argument that privacy is only important to those who have something horrible to hide should be well and truly debunked by now.
