Anonymity of the Internet

Throughout the entire history of the Internet in the public domain, it has been a relatively anonymous system for communication and information. One of the main reasons that many people enjoyed MUDs, and the MMOs that would follow them, is that the player is put into a virtual world where they can do anything that the rules allow them to, without anyone knowing who they are.

This anonymous nature of the Internet allows people to fit into roles that they normally wouldn’t in real life. Some people might experiment with gender issues. Others enjoy being able to be rude to others to unwind after a long day at work, especially when there won’t be any repercussions from those actions in real life. One such example of this is VideoCompiler. VideoCompiler is the alias for an anonymous person that creates soundboards for Ventrilo, a VOIP (voice over internet protocol) that allows people to communicate in real time with each other using a microphone, and uses those soundboards to harass the people on a Ventrilo server. One such example is where he took a soundboard of a few Duke Nukem phrases, and using only those sounds communicated with the people on a Ventrilo server, ultimately driving a mother named Peggy absolutely crazy. Here is the video, although it does have some swears in it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE3KdcTgrno

Since people are hiding behind an anonymous avatar while playing games or other things online, they often feel safer. This can lead to helpful experimentation, or even just presenting ideas that differ from mainstream thought. This of course is beneficial usually. On the other hand, people can misuse that sense of safety and harass others any number of ways, through email spam, forum posting, hacking and identity theft, or verbal harassment (primarily in gaming).

I would argue that free speech needs to be protected, although at the same time when there is harassment of some form, it needs to be dealt with just like in any other situation.

If anyone wants to see more of VideoCompiler's videos, his website is:

http://www.ventriloharassment.org/