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To: Graystone who wrote (6769)7/8/1999 8:36:00 AM
From: Henry Volquardsen  Read Replies (2) of 32912
 
I have found the discussion of privacy issues very interesting
or
I am of two minds on the subject

my libertarian instincts make me very receptive to arguements in favor of the greatest amount of privacy. Also I spend a good deal of time on-line and understand people's concerns about releasing to much personal information. Some of my favorite on-line personalaties are people who chose for their own valid reasons to remain anonymous.
but
there is a real problem on the other side of the issue. We are all aware of the growing number of abuses of anonymity. Scammers, hypers, bashers and smearers all hide behind fake identities, often multiple, to perpetuate their frauds. SI is relatively tame in this regard, try stepping into the sewer that Yahoo has become. The enormous potential benefits of internet communication will be lost if drowned in a growing tide of liars and cheats. Perhaps it is easy to identify people with an agenda. But perhaps it is only easy to identify the mediocre ones. Privacy is important. But can it be divorced from accountability?

This is a very complex and important issue for all of us. When I joined SI I actually thought about this issue quite a bit. I decided I wanted to be open about my identity. I wanted to make a statement that I stand behind what I say, whether it is a serious comment about financial issues or a coffee shop joke. This is not to say anonymous posters don't. This was a personal decision and one we each make. This has caused me no problems.

It is also an important issue for us as a community. I don't have any ready answers in this regard. I have however developed a growing opinion that as technology and cultural issues interweave and develop we will need to change some of our traditional views on privacy in order to fully enjoy the benefits of this technology. Not a firm opinion yet. Just a lot of questions on the subject. I might suggest an interesting book by David Brin "The Transparent Society" subtitled "Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Privacy and Freedom".
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