Anonymity On The Internet example essay topic

What is privacy? It is the state of being free from unauthorized intrusion. What is anonymity? It is the quality or state of being unknown or unacknowledged. Anonymity is one of the greatest gifts of the Internet.

It allows you to really be the one you are, it relieves you from being prejudiced by others. It makes you a white sheet of paper; it gives you a life that you would never ever be able to have in the real world. This certainly is a great thing. Being anonymous is necessary.

People often choose to be anonymous because they don't want to take responsibility for what they say. If the certain person does say something to offend other people, they wouldn't be able to go after the perpetrator because he / she is unknown. Individuals enjoy the right to privacy and the pleasures and the benefits of social interaction, given that anonymity can be guaranteed. There are many ways to communicate anonymously on the Internet, including anonymous retailers for e-mail, anonymous posting, and anonymous creation of Web pages. Anonymity allows a person to express his or her views freely, without the fear of repercussions. Anonymity allows a person to be controversial, to take unpopular positions on volatile issues, to try to change society.

The Internet allows an individual with no money potentially to reach a large audience and make a real impact. But this can also be abused. People can post someone else's private information on a Web site anonymously. People can write untrue or damaging statements anonymously.

Do you think anonymity on the Internet should be protected? Some communities require anonymity for them to be effective, because without it members would not participate. This the case with Alcoholics Anonymous, AIDS support groups, drug addiction support and other mutual help organizations, particularly when there is some risk of social ostracism or even legal consequences should the identity of the members be revealed. I am opposed to using anonymity as an excuse to commit crime, being anonymous is excusable if used for the right reasons.

Have you ever noticed how you receive junk mail from some company claiming that you have ordered a certain product? Well, I have just recently watched an episode of Law & Order, they happen to feature computer crime and privacy. That episode got me thinking about Fly Buys, and here are my deductions: whenever you spend something and want to earn "points", the card's barcode is scanned. The data they gather is probably sent to a database that lists all the products you buy. With that information, they see a pattern in your spending habit and the sorts of products you purchase. Therefore Coles Myer passes on your information to their affiliates and subsidiaries.

This is how the junk mail starts arriving at your doorstep, or email inbox. All I'm trying to point out is that there is a reason why people choose to withhold some or most information about them when signing up for something, and it's because they don't want their details sent to organizations they don't trust or haven't authorized. Anonymity is a free and harmless activity. We must all respect this free attribute and not take it for granted.

If so it would be fair to say that justice must prevail and that those that abuse it must be penalised accordingly.