It is true that social media and other online platforms have become a powerful communication tool. Some people believe that to maintain the order as well as the security of the online world, people should be transparent about who they are and where they come from. However, I believe that Internet users should have the right to be anonymous.
On the one hand, should everyone be provided with an identification to access the virtual world, the incidence of cybercrime and online abuses would significantly diminish. Firstly, granted online access would integrate the two separate worlds, and, what offenders committed in the online realm would not be punished any less severely than for what they did in the actual world. Therefore, potential offenders would be more aware of the possibility of being caught and the subsequent punishments. Moreover, since most cyber-bullies take advantage of multiple online accounts that they use to attack their victims online, the one and only valid online identification would deprive them of the tools of hurting people in the first place.
On the other hand, people should have the right to remain synonymous online as they do in reality. Be it online or offline conversations, people only exercise the freedom of speech to the fullest when there are no threats of later punishments by people of authority or of personal revenge. Recent cases of Me too campaigns, which are a response from females and feminists to the oppression and abuses committed by their male employers are a gold example. If they were not allowed to conceal their names and personal information, far less abused women would come forward to bring their super-ordinates’ sexual harassment to light.
In conclusion, even though an official online identification could act as a deterrence for online crimes, it undermines human rights to freedom of speech and precludes the possibility of sensitive cases of offences being reported.
It is true that social media and other
online
platforms have become a powerful communication tool.
Some
people
believe that to maintain the order
as well
as the security of the
online
world
,
people
should be transparent about who they are and where they
come
from.
However
, I believe that Internet users should have the right to be anonymous.
On the one hand, should everyone
be provided
with an identification to access the virtual
world
, the incidence of cybercrime and
online
abuses would
significantly
diminish.
Firstly
, granted
online
access would integrate the two separate
worlds
, and, what offenders committed in the
online
realm would not
be punished
any less
severely
than for what they did in the actual
world
.
Therefore
, potential offenders would be more aware of the possibility of
being caught
and the subsequent punishments.
Moreover
, since most cyber-bullies take advantage of multiple
online
accounts that they
use to
attack their victims
online
, the one and
only
valid
online
identification would deprive them of the tools of hurting
people
in the
first
place.
On the other hand
,
people
should have the right to remain synonymous
online
as they do in reality. Be it
online
or offline conversations,
people
only
exercise the freedom of speech to the fullest when there are no threats of later punishments by
people
of authority or of personal revenge. Recent cases of Me too campaigns, which are a response from females and feminists to the oppression and abuses committed by their male employers are a gold example. If they were not
allowed
to conceal their names and personal information, far less abused women would
come
forward to bring their super-ordinates’ sexual harassment to light.
In conclusion
,
even though
an official
online
identification could act as a deterrence for
online
crimes, it undermines human rights to freedom of speech and precludes the possibility of sensitive cases of
offences
being reported
.