Data at Your Fingertips: Explore Our New Reporting and Statistical Capabilities By Ryan Ashbrook Tuesday at 01:29 PM
Joel R Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 https://mobil.derstandard.at/2000101677286/Government-Seeks-to-Eliminate-Internet-Anonymity-With-Severe-Penalties There's a proposal by the Austrian government to require forum owners to verify the identities of users. Do you require real names of users on your community? Fierce God 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce God Posted April 22, 2019 Share Posted April 22, 2019 WoW!!!! that is a lil harsh? (IMO) but on ours, we are focused on the Gaming Scene, so it only fits that we have members use their "Gamer" name and real name as a option but i do see business communities and "real life" situation communities maybe requiring the use of real names Very good topic @Joel R Joel R 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesuralem Posted April 22, 2019 Share Posted April 22, 2019 On my community not only we do not require real names but we do not tolerate that users give the name of other users. Of course everyone is free to give his own real name if he likes it. Asking forum owner to verify real identity is just a nonsence, what tool do we have to make sure of it ? are we supposed to ask for an ID Card ? and if yes how are we supposed to check it is not a fake and it is indeed the one of the member ? In France only a police officer is allowed to ask for an ID card... This is typically political BS... If someone posts something illegal we are already logging the IP addresses and have to give it to the authorities, so nobody is anonymous on the internet, and everybody knows it... All the laws needed already exist. Joel R, Passingby and PrettyPixels 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxxius Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 (edited) no need for real names at all. and the Austrians are crazy, 1984 creeping upon the people more and more. Edited April 23, 2019 by Maxxius Silnei L Andrade, Fierce God, Passingby and 2 others 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesuralem Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Maxxius said: no need for real names at all. and the Austrians are crazy, 1984 creeping upon the people more and more. I have to say politicians are having the same debate in France about the "anonimity" of the internet, mostly in regard to terrorism and to "fake news" and ot the fact that the "gilets jaunes" movement is mainly orgonized through facebook groups, so i wouldn't say the idea is crazy. Plus as i said, everything is already in place to identifiy internet users so it wouldn't be more 1984 that any other rule :). As always this king of rule is mostly communication so they can say "we have an idea" or "we are doing something", the crazy ones are us who are voting for them. In the end this will be just the same as GDPR : it will target facebook and friends but they will manage to dodge the bullet by adding a few hundreds more fine prints lines in their terms of use and the ones really annoyed will be us owners of small communities... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPlanet Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 On 4/20/2019 at 8:26 PM, Joel R said: Do you require real names of users on your community? Not at all, and I don't want nor do I need to know their real names. Dreadful idea that it won't help with terrorism and that sort of thing anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNOfficial Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 No, I don't but, honestly, we use our names as our usernames, any way, so it wouldn't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ77 Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 The world has gone insane! Makoto, SeNioR- and Pescao6 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opentype Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 (edited) At this point, it’s only a proposal. I don’t think it will become law. At least not in the way it is proposed. However, the reasoning is understandable and far from “insane”. In fact, one could easily argue the opposite: It could be considered insane that the online world is so far behind the “offline” developments we had in civilized societies – and that, among many other things, is based on responsibilities. There is a reason you can’t drive around without a license plate for example. There is a reason police can stop you and ask you for your ID or bring you in to identify you. You can harm others in the real world and you can’t just run away from that by simply being anonymous. But you can still do that online. And that has become a global and serious problem. The internet is not just a place anymore where a few nerds and scientists write in newsgroups. It’s part of our daily life now and affects e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. You have millions of illegal activities going on every day, terror attacks planned, teenagers cyber-bullied and driven into suicide, elections in other countries changed by bots, fake news believed by millions and turned into violence and hundreds of other such things. It’s not as simple as “But muh freedom!“. The negative effects need to mitigated in some way, because the harm they cause can be greater than the benefits of our freedoms. Finding the right balance won’t be easy, but complete anonymity clearly also doesn’t work. And people who think otherwise probably just haven’t been on the receiving end of the problems it can cause. Edited April 23, 2019 by opentype Hexsplosions, GTServices, Day_ and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernal Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 My community is a game site. We don't use real names and discourage the use of PII on the forum. In controlling PII from the beginning (only one of many ways I'm sure) it simplifies GDPR-type privacy concerns too Joel R 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustHatched Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 On my gaming sites I do not require it but really don't care if anyone does. If they want to put them selves out there like that then it is up to them. On a 3rd site it is very local and very niche and most use their names but there it still isn't required. Fierce God 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel R Posted April 24, 2019 Author Share Posted April 24, 2019 So I'm hearing consistent answers that you're not asking for real names, but that's probably weren't required. What if you were required to verify the real identities of all members? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustHatched Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 20 minutes ago, Joel R said: So I'm hearing consistent answers that you're not asking for real names, but that's probably weren't required. What if you were required to verify the real identities of all members? Defy the law... I'll do that much leg work when the pry the gun from my cold dead hands.. (or they notify my host which is IPS and IPS shuts me down 😛 ) supernal and PrettyPixels 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonya* Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 On 4/20/2019 at 12:26 PM, Joel R said: Do you require real names of users on your community? No. I even recommend to my users NOT to use their real names on our community. The subject of our community is very private so that revealing real names can hurt in real life. This is also the reason that we do not fear social media at all. 99% of our users would not talk about the subject in the social media using their real name. They can do it only anonymously, e. g. by us Joel R and PrettyPixels 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hexsplosions Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 On 4/23/2019 at 4:49 PM, opentype said: lots of text That's got to be one of the most level-headed breakdowns of such a proposal that I've read. Bravo. 👏 The internet needs more of this, rather than the constant "but my privacy" objections with few other substantiated concerns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesuralem Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 12 hours ago, Joel R said: What if you were required to verify the real identities of all members? I would ask what tool we have to verify it. I don't see anything that would do the job. I would also add that we already check a valid e-mail adress so maybe a good solution would be to ask e-mail providers to check the ids on their side... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPlanet Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 (edited) I know this is a different law, made for a different purpose, but in practical terms some objections to one (UK anti-porn law) can apply to the other (Austrian proposal). Here's an article (video) that explains why that sort of thing it's a pretty bad idea. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/porn-block-uk-wired-explains Edited April 25, 2019 by PPlanet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgin Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 On 4/23/2019 at 9:49 AM, opentype said: At this point, it’s only a proposal. I don’t think it will become law. At least not in the way it is proposed. However, the reasoning is understandable and far from “insane”. In fact, one could easily argue the opposite: It could be considered insane that the online world is so far behind the “offline” developments we had in civilized societies – and that, among many other things, is based on responsibilities. There is a reason you can’t drive around without a license plate for example. There is a reason police can stop you and ask you for your ID or bring you in to identify you. You can harm others in the real world and you can’t just run away from that by simply being anonymous. But you can still do that online. And that has become a global and serious problem. The internet is not just a place anymore where a few nerds and scientists write in newsgroups. It’s part of our daily life now and affects e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. You have millions of illegal activities going on every day, terror attacks planned, teenagers cyber-bullied and driven into suicide, elections in other countries changed by bots, fake news believed by millions and turned into violence and hundreds of other such things. It’s not as simple as “But muh freedom!“. The negative effects need to mitigated in some way, because the harm they cause can be greater than the benefits of our freedoms. Finding the right balance won’t be easy, but complete anonymity clearly also doesn’t work. And people who think otherwise probably just haven’t been on the receiving end of the problems it can cause. This is a good take. But then it raises the question of how to actually permit anonymous discussion, which is certainly something we’re allowed to do in offline society (albeit it’s a bit trickier to accomplish). The worry is that it places a heavy onus on the community admin to police that anonymity is only permissible if there is a means to unmask if required. Interesting to think about, in any event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyv Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 My members choose their display names. I would probably disallow something offensive (like swear words or something like that) as a matter of personal policy, but I haven't had to do that. As for not allowing someone to use a handle instead of his given name, nah I won't be doing that. I'm in Rhode Island, and I couldn't care less about GDRP, "real" names, hurt feelings, policing others, or whatnot. What, you're gonna sue me?!? Good luck with that even if you win. Ask your attorney to explain the meaning of "judgement proof." I have no love for the nanny state. I won't say I'm an outright libertarian -- we can't all go through the intersection at the same time -- but I lean that way. Some regulation is necessary, but excessive regulation is bad. For example, regulating driving and licensing to make sure drivers are qualified and follow the rules of the road is good, but suspending someone's driver's license because he owes child support is bad; the latter has nothing to do with the original intent of the licensing scheme. Oh, and guns are good. Regulating and licensing of guns is bad. No, I won't be asking members for government ID to verify names. As an American, I'm not even required by law to have an ID. Mandatory ID schemes are for totalitarian regimes. Your papers please? Just no. Waiting for the "Likes" to come in, Tõnis aka Tony ☺️ (no fraud here) Maxxius, Asprin, PrettyPixels and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexWright Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 I absolutely wouldn't comply with this. I do not have the means, or the time, to verify each and every member, have to deal with fake IDs, etc etc. No, thank you. The onus of verifying identity should not lay with site owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VladTheGreat Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 I actually like the idea of using real names, it really depends on the type of setup you're thinking of running really, IPS isnt just useful for forums, but in all honesty, if you serve a purpose to the people and want to be known quickly, your name will be spread around to everyone online with google to people looking for your services an know you're the man for the job for example to lead to linkdin or facebook etc, unless something dodgy or the content makes people lose their minds then no reason to stand by your pile 🙂 but on a gamers site theres bare rivalry so that would be a bad idea incase binladen was having a match and lost his ....mind 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebthtet Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 (edited) Hell no, it always should be just an option and I can't imagine forcing users to show their real names if they don't want to. Edited June 26, 2019 by Nebthtet PrettyPixels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescao6 Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 We used to ask for first names since we kept our community as a tightly restricted family, but I always had to edit out whenever people posted full names and it got awkward when we had new members who didn't want to give out any personal info. Nowadays I just ask people what do you prefer to be called? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodsman Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 On 4/20/2019 at 5:26 AM, Joel R said: https://mobil.derstandard.at/2000101677286/Government-Seeks-to-Eliminate-Internet-Anonymity-With-Severe-Penalties There's a proposal by the Austrian government to require forum owners to verify the identities of users. Do you require real names of users on your community? Damn it is a good thing I don't have to comply to the Austrians BS.... SIIYAA... In other words Stuff It In Your Austrian Arse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morrigan Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 I don't ask for real names unless I'm selling a product. I hold each person as responsible as a real person for their actions as I would in real life. In fact I banned two really toxic members from my site recently because instead of being constructive they were being destructive and had been the same in the past. It wasn't worth my time to continue to fight an uphill battle with them. I hold no regrets. A site should hold their members responsible for the behavior they perform on your site. Its why I encourage people to report PMs etc. I need to micromanage you. The people you talk to will report you for the behavior you post that is outside of my rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts