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Re: [tor-talk] REAL-ID Internet Access Coming Soon



The public library where I live (U.S.) allows patrons to use pseudonyms on its website in order to shield patrons' privacy. In 2014, Reporters Without Borders scored China at 175 out of 180 as one of the most restrictive countries on the planet for freedom of speech [1]. Google+ has let go of its real name policy [2]. Amazon offers Pen Names [3], and shoppers on Ebay & Paypal appear to be able to sign up using business names, at least as of 2011 [4].

There already are many professionals who use crypto regularly [5, 6], although not all say so, and these folks chose to do so of their own volition. In the wake of Snoden's disclosures, this looks to me like a groundswell of support for crypto incidental to the increase of computer literacy among the general public. Pseudonyms also have some historical precedent: Voltaire's real name was François-Marie d'Arouet [7]. That psuedonymity is a very popular approach to achieving privacy in the West is common knowledge [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14].

If a `REAL-ID Internet Access' law were to gain traction in the U.S., how would such a law be enforced exactly?

gz

[1] http://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php
[2] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/16/google_raises_white_flag_on_real_names_policy/
[3] http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201145360
[4] https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Access-and-security/Paypal-EBay-Pseudonym-Personal-Security/td-p/264550?profile.language=en-gb
[5] https://lawyerist.com/78289/tor-lets-surf-anonymously-protect-clients/
[6] http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/can_we_still_trust_tor.php?page=all
[7] http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/voltaire/
[8] http://harvardmagazine.com/2014/09/can-pseudonyms-make-better-online-citizens [9] http://www.cnet.com/how-to/enhance-privacy-by-being-deliberately-inaccurate/
[10] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/07/case-pseudonyms
[11] http://law.lclark.edu/live/files/15549-protecting-victims-privacy-rights---the-use-of
[12] http://www.wired.com/2014/12/disqus/
[14] https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110805/14103715409/whats-name-importance-pseudonymity-dangers-requiring-real-names.shtml


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