X-Message-Number: 26850
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 10:24:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: pseudonymity
References: <>

Were I less charitable I might wonder if the insistence by
Paul and Kitty that they must know who they are dealing with
is an extension of a general desire to control their
environment. In other words, they seek to discourage
statements that they don't like by making people feel
intimidated.

This is remarkably similar to the behavior I have seen since
9/11 among people in positions of authority seeking to erode
the ability of everyday citizens to remain low-profile or
anonymous. Overall, seeking to prevent anonymity is usually a
sign that someone wants to erode someone else's liberties.

Some of the Federalist Papers were written pseudonymously,
and the availability of PGP encryption has been helpful to
radicals living under totalitarian regimes. I believe the
ability to remain anonymous should be a fundamental right,
and indeed it used to be, since there was no requirement for
anyone in the United States to carry identification papers
until the Supreme Court ruled last year that when a cop asks
you for identification you have an obligation to tell him who
you are, even if there is no suspicion that you may have
committed a crime.

Of course the freedom to be anonymous may be abused, for
instance if it is used as a way to disseminate libelous
statements. But any freedom can be abused, and this is not an
argument for eliminating the freedom.

I have always enjoyed pseudonymous posts on CryoNet and
indeed have contributed some myself, in the distant past. I
hope to continue enjoying pseudonymous posts, and indeed I
fully expect to do so, since no matter how much Kitty and
Paul would like to have their environment under their total
control, this will not be possible.

--

PS. I seem to recall that Paul himself facilitated
pseudonymous posts on CryoNet in the past. The name "Ragnor"
comes to mind. Paul was not "Ragnor" but I think he made
"Ragnor" possible. Am I right about this, Paul?

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