Lawmaker wants you to show yourself

I am divided. I think that we need to be accountable for what we say online. After all, my username IS my name. I am more careful with what I say, and I think that that is a good thing. I know that somehow, what I am writing right now could very well be public record in the future. Even if my name were nonsensical, I could never be truly anonymous. I embrace the lack of anonymity and stay guarded with what information I broadcast.

I will say, though, that I wish there were some areas of the internet designated as a no identity zone. This would allow a more free exchange of ideas, however stupid they may be.

Tim Couch is stupid!! oops!!

is this anonymous??

hmmm

they do know my real name here in Current...

And what of a free internet? jeez, mho, we don't need any excuse to let Big Brother "zoning" us or fining us to death..which they damn sure will! And really, if these legislators really think it's worth the time they can ask the CIA who spies on us constantly...cuz if they want to know you, they already know where to find you...

but moreso to the point I wonder why should "anonymity" suddenly be a crime for a few cases???!!! Once again it could be just a few "cry-baby" mofoz phuknitop 4 everyone else! Reminds me of that old man actually grabbing and then suing that young boy for taking a bump on the slopes that everyone knowledgeably takes the risks for when they ski on virtually any slope!

But if I want, or think a cause is valuable enough, I will indeed put my full name, address etc... it should be OUR own prerogative, not some screw-up "Rep" who'd MANDATE automatic pilot government for everyone in a one-size fits all g'dammit kinda way...

screw that I say.

Anyway, the way i see it, government is always looking for "new" ways to make things criminal because they know the "bogus" fines are so profitable... gotta just hate that false pretense crap!!!

Man,fuck that shit,they want to pass that law to invade your privacy, and to know who to harrass or who's computer to fuck with...damn,socialist's.

you mean neo-cons I think (at least here in the U.S. under Bush) but hell, maybe it's the socialists too =P lol

Interesting to see these comments. Let me add this scenery where an internet character uses an "Alias" to protect his privacy in order to minimize "retaliation" against his own life from gangs operating in the City. This is the story where some of us does work for the Neighborhood as a Volunteer and thus also study Judicial Cases through the theater of criminology. I do not need to spell out here that I am dealing with local and Bay Area acoustic gangs where our Local Government become part of it after 2001 with the use of many open emission electronic noise signals that trespass inhabitants property lines, and thus prematurely destroying with their mental and physical health. So going back to the retaliation issue, this stuff here is real and more serious than some of you think and discretionary review should be applied when dealing with such cases. As a contemplator of the Law I can see that there are lots of liabilities under privacy concerns that raises from that. What do you think?

This is just another way for them to build their lists of dissident out spoken and thought provoking citizens. They insult the reader's intelligence for implying that they are not capable of deciding for themselves what is jibberish. These "types" of people are the same ones that cannot form an intelligent argument in debate and simply yell "Shut Up!" or instantly throw out insults. When the "real" insult is throwing out legislation like this is to "force" people into censoring their thoughts. If this legislation is hiding behind the facade of "online harassment" or "hate speech"...then in an "intelligent" society...people shouting hate speech should merely be rooted out and shamed by the "community" not by taking their right to say it.
This would be another "human right" down the drain.
Keep letting them take your rights....Keep giving them more rights....smoke and mirrors...
Arguments against the "online harassment" part is simply this...
Every instant messenger has an "ignore" button...
And amazingly enough...all of us humans have the same kind of button we can decide to push in our heads...people are great at ignoring things...
does this mean that most of us are now seeking political asylum?
I have only this to say about this "lawmaker" and that is "whatta TOOL!"

I think that this issue is not lack of expression or lack of free speech and many could mistake it for that. The issue here is actually to know how societies are organized, the human factor correlated to that and the limits of action according with this society's etiquette. People got to learn the common rules of Etiquette. This is about respecting others as human beings.

An other example could be translated when you are trying to upload a video. If you do not know the right settings, the video will not come alive quite right.

I don't give a s#@t if they know who I am. If they want to know they will find out. The law needs fought anyway.

It is not only a direct blow to freedom of expression...it is also a privacy issue. Why do some people choose to have their phone # unlisted? Why do we have a witness protection program? These things fall under the same topic i believe.

Etiquette? how about start by regulating the way public debates are held on the TV? Their etiquette is constantly displayed at difference of opinion by yelling "Shut up" or a witty barrage of insults. Every instant messenger has an ignore button and we are better than ever at using it on the internet.
These are merely the "etiquette" issues mentioned.

Next question...
How "protected" would you feel knowing that some irrational and potentially violent person could easily look up your address online? Does that thought help you feel "safe"? I realize it isn't that hard now but to make it even easier?

Legislation like this puts more people in danger than it is said to help protect in my opinion.

Me either! The Law is not for the Law keeper but for the Law braker. However how can you spot a criminal mind? Let us not be that innocent specially on days like this. You know that this world is not only composed of good and nice people. There are people out there going to a greater extent to hurt us. That is indeed a fact, not a fiction!

totally agree with ablindeye...

stopnoise "let us not be so innocent'??? you keep wanting to operate on the permanence of some presumption of guilt we all have to address like "terrorism" which is just more fear-mongering bs. There is first and foremost, at least the last time I checked, the presumption *of* innoncence gdammit. Laws do not guarantee safety at all. you want safety? crawl in a hole and pull a rock over yourself. Continue to view the rest of the world in a paranoid delusional state that makes you sick with fear insisting on Laws to protect your knocking knees. It's more like you wanna play football but you want some outrageous guarantee you won't get even a little bruise, peachy. You wanna play basketball but you want the guarantee if anybody shoves you they get a foul or else you'll cry about the blister on your foot "they" gave you!

We all live with risk, whether you like to believe it or not. We can only hope that we honestly share common values like etiquette, but it needn't be legislated, and especially not at the expense to MY right of PRIVACY! I don't WANT the government poking around in MY business! If I want to remain anonymous that is my own phukn business and not yours by any Public right! It's *my* rightful prerogative to remain anonymous if *I'd* like to. I'm American! Land of the FREE...home of the BRAVE!!! (Brave implies some risk incidentally)...

We have inept politicians creating issues out of anything just to SEEM like their doing something. Notice there's no proof there actually even IS a problem in his district...he just TELLS us there is! It begs the question, how many people does this HONESTLY affect to any real burden? That SOB instead should introduce a bill to end the dam war and interrogation techniques like waterboarding if he/you really want to make issues of "safety" and "etiquette" so damn much. Online "bullying" and using the "ignore" button on my messenger as ablindeye suggests is the easiest most practical solution that works perfectly every time, WITHOUT infringing on legitimate PRIVACY concerns.

quit squawking for little more than bs... weren't you the one complaining about noise in the city?? of all places??? didn't someone tell you the best solution was to move out? No one forces you to live there... this is like the same g'dam thing...

Web sites blogs are social environments not unlike coffee houses or bars. If I go into a coffee house and call someone a f ** king goof, does the owner or any of the patrons have a right to know my identity? Hell no, the owner has a right to tell me to beat it but thats about it. And as a web site owner I certainly wouldn't want the head aches of abiding a B.S. law the requires me to ensure all the site members have provided true information: Can you imagine owning a web site in Seatle and trying to verify someones I.D. from Istanbul? Yeah, thats gonna happen. Good luck!

excellent point colmor...
marketers will lose a ton of profit trying to keep up with this also.
Denying potential sales and marketing opportunities...

We regret to inform you that your application to our website must be denied because of our inability to confirm your identity?

ablindeye: lol

"echoz" said:

stopnoise "let us not be so innocent'??? you keep wanting to operate on the permanence of some presumption of guilt we all have to address like "terrorism" which is just more fear-mongering bs.


"echoz" That is what you said no me!

From my part I am just showing up the San Francisco current reality related people's lack of education in many areas of life. "echoz" You do not know the social reality of the City of San Francisco so I think you should not speak for the sake of showing your own agnosticism to the World.

In addition to that you are stereotyping city living. Do you know what is "stereotyping"? Go look in the dictionary.

Then because of what you are saying it is a stereotype spoofed misconception of living in the City, put you in that character that shoots himself in the foot. Therefore I think you do not really live in the City and you think you can come here and do what you please and still keep your "privacy." Ha! That the real BS right there! Then it is fit to say that the Law is definitely for you. That is exactly why I am here, to catch spoofer (s) like you.
I was trying to figure out but I think I already know why you are so hyper up about this.

Are you a delinquent hit and runner guy?

stupid. it should be up to a website to allow users to post anonymously or not. fuck the government.

i like the idea. its about time we started having some morals.

Anonymity on the internet has always been the best way to gauge hostility, bad spelling, ignorance and many other human failings. It's like an ongoing census meter.
Why quit now?

The way things have been going lately, this does not come as a surprise at all.

Why do politicians think it is their job to regulate free speech on the internet? This guy is a f'n moron. Do your job a-hole!!! Defend the Constitution! That's it! So far you are doing a shty job!!! You passed HR 1955, right? You failed.

Guess what my name is...ALL of it's steadward! Yeah...I'm unonomous...that word I can't spell...yeah

This will never fly. The supreme court already ruled that the internet can not regulated.

I hate old fools that want to enter try to make laws like this....besides I am using my real name.

^_~

There are always two or more sides of every story. Editorial content exists for years or since the press was invented. However does anyone know the limits of actions in life? This is not a matter of free speech in which I also defend it, this is about some figures of character hurting others by going overboard. You need to be a Father or a Mother or a Parent at least to understand certain issues. Some of us know that this world is not composed of only good people. Besides my and your "privacy" is in part already gone when you got your first identity card, your first credit card, your first trip to Wallgreens, to the Bank, to the Mall, what else? The reality is that we can just pray that our "privacy" will keep working as long as possible.

"Personally I have nothing to fear or to hide and my life is an open book with a lots of stars and fans." By other hand I am not that "naive" through the process, got it!

Sorry I can not agree. I would hate to have my First and last name always floating around on the internet connected to every word....

You have more privacy if you speak in public. There is no one asking me for my ID before I say anything while walking down the street or to a stranger in the store.

To think that by posting on the net I would be more easily identified than if I speak in public.

Also think how much pressure that puts on a forum owner and how many more chances for ID theft there are if I ALWAYS have to put my name and address on a forum.

Sometimes I think people speak without thinking.

Who says I agree with it?

I just said that I will defend what is left of my privacy for the same reasons of yours! However it is not everyone out there that have good intentions and actually that is what is the main issue here!

stopnoise - Hey I can always admit when I'm wrong and yes I did just kind of reply...but hey I've got like 100 windows open who has time to through read? j\k.

Maybe they should just post your IP address so people that know how to do a Trace route can come to that person's house and punch them in the face.

Then again, I have a feeling you would have come over and punched me for the last comment....

I think it'd be great if people were held accountable for their verbal diarrea outbursts. I think we'd see about a 50% decrease in the idiocy generated over the internet.

1. the internet is the only remaining arena of free (public) speech. if people are saying something that may be seen as controversial by their community, they may want to remain anonymous. if forced to say it with their identity attached, they may repress the statement.

inability to have an anonymous online identity would be a huge detriment to freedom to speak out against immoral or unsound--but often dominant--behavior or people.

2. it's fun --and mind opening -- to live or speak as someone else in the virtual world, just for shits and giggles. why else would second life be so popular? if you're ugly, you get to be beautiful. and a million variations of 'and so on.'

3. when you interact with people without knowing their gender, race, level of attractiveness, etc, you realize a lot about the physical social sphere and its flaws, and your assessment of other people often evolves, you are able to respond to their self without filtering it through a stereotype about their class of people. it would be criminal to lose this really simple yet hugely mind opening function of online relationships and communities.

4. real criminals will still find ways to outsmart the identity hall monitor system, so i doubt this will be effective in reducing real crime.

ps is there a petition about this?

omg, don't complain about them invading ppl's privacy...it's not like your IP isn't logged when you post on a forum anyways =~O

All of these people crying about the last free realm of free speech need to stop and think about something for minute. How much of garbage floating around about the US gov't, war, torture, al-qaeda, terrorists, etc would be checked at the door if people knew they had to be identified for making some of the LUDICROUS accusations that they make. I think we could ALL enjoy a few moments of clarity if there was a steep decline in the number of idiotic opinions people tend to float.

Liberal_Extinction - Right because we all should just STFU and fall in line.

Good thinking buddy.... So why don't you be the first, to do this.

Post your first and last name, and home address.
Why not your telephone number?

"Ron Tayan" I did realized that after I posted, that you were answering to the title and not to the subsequent posting that happened to be mine. I always try to reload the button because people do think you are direct talking to them when you post after a posting.

Therefore, my apologies to you!

No intent to harm whatsoever.

Right on RonTayan
Liberal, since you think this is such a great idea why not use your real name instead of some BS screen name?
If your all for living in a policed state why hide behind a fake screen name, have the balls to back up what you post!

I think Regina layout some real communitarian and social facts here so I am just going ahead and vote for her. This is getting to be funny now as Regina is a real person just like us using her real name. Then I am just going to stay firm on my position. Acting as an "alias" or in my own real self character, in my own opinion, does not give me the autonomy to go around threaten or harassing others. There are limits for everything in life. Does anybody know when they just happen to cross the limits of reason?