This article on CNET news criticizes Facebook for not allowing its users to remain anonymous. Facebook, unlike some other social networking sites, strongly encourages its users to use their real names and photos and match their Facebook identity to their real life identity. While there are some ways around this, the norm on Facebook is to interact with friends who use their real likenesses and names on the social networking site. Since social networking has taken a major role in the revolutions in Egypt, Tunis, Libya and Bahrain there are some suggesting that Facebook should support an option for anonymity. The reason for this is that governments have threatened to use violence against citizens exposing unrest over the internet.
Read the linked article to find out more, but I feel that Facebook should deny anonymity, even in cases in the Middle East where it might save lives. The great thing about Facebook is that it serves as a place for people to represent themselves more factually on the internet. Changing this could set a precedent that significantly alters the way people interact on Facebook. It is easier to obscure one's identity on Twitter and Myspace, and even Youtube. These should be the sites predominately used to divulge contentious information anonymously over the internet. I understand that Facebook is useful because of its popularity, but I don't feel the site should make exceptions under any circumstances, here in the United States or abroad.
The ability to divulge information anonymously over the internet is important in these revolutionary situations, but because there are other sites to do this on I feel Facebook should not change or adjust. Twitter has been popular for this same purpose in Iran and allows one to cover up their identity better. If people want to expose information of Facebook that's a risk they will have to take.
1 comment:
Interesting post, Ray. A few weeks back one of your classmates, Mika, noted that in Japan anonymity is the rule on the most popular social networking site (Mixi). That said, I tend to agree with you that the lack of anonymity promotes more genuine and honest interaction online. And, as you say, Middle Eastern protesters can use Twitter if they want to avoid being identified.
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