Real Names Policies: Remaining Anonymous in Cyberspace

 By Kristofer Bielefeld

Introduction

One point that has emerged in the age of social media is the ability to be anonymous online, where your actions online are separate from your real name and identity. Despite this, Facebook has a policy where you must use your authentic name, as it is “the name [you] go by in everyday life” (Facebook). Failing to register a “real name” will risk the chance of your account being deleted. In 2015, this policy came under fire for how it affected those of marginalized communities. For example, victims of abuse would have to create anonymous profiles, so they can distance themselves from abusers.

Facebook does have the power to grant aliases, but it requires you to verify your identity, which forces you to further give up your private information. While this does give you an alias, Facebook now has more of your private information in its databases.

Check out the official Facebook policy here

Does this violate a reasonable expectation of privacy?

Facebook’s policy does not violate laws overtly, but it does raise some questions on the nature of anonymity in digital spaces. Anonymity is protected under the 1^st Amendment, as it supports the freedom of speech. Maybe you want to leave a review on an acne removal product, but you are worried that people may see that you specifically bought this product. Other people could find this review, and they might harass you for it. Using a pseudonym makes sure that the product is not associated with you in the slightest. To imagine a more extreme scenario, an investigative journalist trying to break a story of corporate corruption may prefer to be anonymous to prevent retaliation and backlash. Anonymity allows for you to create an honest environment, where you feel free to speak your mind.

However, there is a benefit to not being anonymous online. Having your account being tied to your real name allows you to be a more credible source, because your information can be traced back to you. People may be prone to act nicer when they know what they say could be traced back to them. Whereas anonymity has been shown to make people meaner when it comes to online interaction. Criminals and cybercrime are an emerging problem as well, and using real names could make tracking down suspects easier and more effective. Anonymous names may make it harder to find who the cybercriminal is, and harder to prosecute as a result.

My Thoughts

While the policy of using your real name is a noble idea, I think creating a pseudonym is a more viable option. With a pseudonym, while it may limit the credibility, I think it helps enforce the idea of privacy when you are online. Especially with other services that are linked to social media, pseudonyms could come in handy. For example, some social media sites show the location where you made a specific social media post. If the person who was posting this picture online had to give their real name, and they currently had an abusive relationship with a spouse, it would greatly benefit this person to have a separate online identity. In turn, I think this separate online identity should be treated in a similar way to the real names policy. For example, YouTube creators do not post their real names online, but they tie back their online information to this pseudonym. Similar to the pen names of authors in the past, this pseudonym is credited with whatever content they create, and with whatever statements they choose to have. So, while they have the freedom to express and create the content they want to create, they still link this information back to their YouTube identity. In this sense, your identity online is a separate entity, where you can still be held accountable for the actions you take online.

Question to discuss:

Should “real names” play a part in online identities, or should we default to pseudonyms for online activity? Does either one allow for accountability online?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

“Names allowed on Facebook.” Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/help/229715077154790 Accessed 24 Jan 2024.

Hendrickson, Lauren. “What is Pseudonomy and Why Does It Matter for Digital Identity?” Identity, 1 May 2023, https://www.identity.com/pseudonymity-privacy-identity-digital-world/ Accessed 24 Jan 2024

Boyd, Danah. “ ‘Real Names’ Policies Are an Abuse Of Power.” Social Media Collective, 4 August 2011, https://socialmediacollective.org/2011/08/04/real-names-policies-are-an-abuse-of-power/ Accessed 24 Jan 2024.

Galperin, Eva and Wafa Ben Hassine. “Changes to Facebook’s ‘Real Names’ Policy Don’t Fix the Problem.” Electronic Frontier Foundation, 18 December 2015 https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/12/changes-facebooks-real-names-policy-still-dont-fix-problem Accessed 24 Jan 2024.

Snider, Brett. “Can Facebook Force You to Use Your Real Name?” FindLaw, Last updated 21 March 2019, https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/can-facebook-force-you-to-use-your-real-name/ Accessed 24 Jan 2024.

“The Pros and Cons of being Anonymous Online.” DeleteMe, 11 April 2023, https://joindeleteme.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-being-anonymous-online/ Accessed 24 Jan 2024.

 

Talbert, Molly. “The Power of Pseudonyms in Online Community.” Higher Logic, https://www.higherlogic.com/blog/the-power-of-pseudonyms-in-an-online-community/ Accessed 24 Jan 2024.