Stalling

To me, anonymity is a freedom that should be allowed -- unquestionably. I can't even fathom an online forum of ideas online without some optional degree of anonymity. There are things we don't want everyone to know about in our lives -- our names, our addresses, our families.

But beyond conceptual anonymity online, how could banning anonymity even be a reasonable suggestion to combat trolling? Or how does banning anything address the real problem? All that restrictions do are essentially reactionary. All it would do would cover up a wound -- push the problem out of sight.

If what we're trying to get rid of is the negativity that anonymity can give rise to -- the trolls, the stalkers, the harassment -- then getting rid of anonymity will just force those forces to find other methods to rebound from. Information can be falsified, website administrators can be sneaked around, or individuals could even just continue harassing with their identities on display if they don't care.

We need to solve the problems behind anonymity -- the problems that hide behind the anonymous guise. Realistically, restricting anonymity doesn't make the people who make rude comments disappear -- the best it would do is make them harder to see. They'll still exist -- and they'll release their comments through other means. The system isn't what needs to be solved -- it's the people who use it.