It's called the "Internet real-name system" and it's touted as the perfect antidote to terrorism, child pornography, Internet abuse and fraud.
South Korea, where it's been the law since 2005, attributes all kinds of benefits to it from securing "healthy development" of the blog world to attracting more investment to web-oriented businesses. Prior to obtaining any webmail services or even signing up for an Internet membership or chat site, South Koreans are required to submit an application with their real name, address, ID number and telephone. Internet providers who fail to collect accurate information from their customers are subject to a fine equivalent to $30,000 per person.
Some U. S. lawmakers want to take things in a similar direction in America. Kentucky State Representative Tim Crouch filed a bill in the Kentucky legislature earlier this year to outlaw anonymous posting. FBI Chief Mueller was in Congress earlier this week pushing for legislation to require ISPs to collect and retain more data on their customers for the benefit of federal law enforcement.
It seems a bit ironic if these attacks on Internet anonymity (and privacy) are successful in the United States. Do you suppose anyone remembers who penned these words of introduction to an anonymous work written well before the Information Age:
Who the author of this publication is, is totally unecessary to the public itself, as the object of attention is the docrine itself, not the man. Yet it may not be unecessary to say, that he unconnected with any party,and under no sort of influence public or private, but the influence of reason and principle.
Who was this dangerous, anonymous terrorist?
Thomas Paine, writing the introduction to the anonymous "Common Sense," a publication that helped spark the American and French Revolutions.