Real Names Online

Read:

• https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/08/randi-zuckerberg-runs-wrong-direction-pseudonymity
• http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/07/google-plus-user-names/
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/another-reason-facebook-wants-a-web-of-real-identities-commerce/2011/08/01/gIQAnH7znI_story.html

There are people who do not mine their names and privacy be exposed to everyone else in the public but there are people who value privacy more than those who don't. Give those who value privacy, a thought for them. Protect their identities.

One thing I never liked nor understood about social media technologies like Google+, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn...etc... they simply DO NOT RESPECT YOUR PRIVACY AND COMPROMISE THEM INSTEAD. They do not protect their databases sufficiently as we have seen many leaked user credentials from compromised social media website databases. You may not mind your accounts becoming compromised but you would inevitably allow your compromised accounts become stepping stones that leads to compromising other accounts and systems (think of password reuse as an example).

Quoting Randi Zuckerburg saying:

I think anonymity on the Internet has to go away. People behave a lot better when they have their real names down. … I think people hide behind anonymity and they feel like they can say whatever they want behind closed doors.

I don't think that's a good way though. Why not remove login functions, remove security protocols and just let people in ? That's the same idea. We need some privacy. We need some locks to secure ourselves and our assets. We want to protect ourselves. Names can and have been forged. People have used other's name to create accounts for malicious users to frame and shame their victims. It's inevitable that the use of "real names" is flawed from the start unless some international mechanism is assigned and ensured each individual is who they are (and assuming the design have not a single technical flaw - which is impossible). 


If privacy and security are not respected and properly implemented and something happens, it's really hard to tell what exactly happened.


Therefore concluding....

PRIVACY MUST BE RESPECTED !!!