This week on theDomains.com there has been a discussion of whether people should be allow to comment anonymously or should the ability to comment be limited to people who are willing to identify themselves
So I’m throwing the topic out for discussion.
Here are my thoughts;
As an attorney I have this freedom of speech thing sort of ingrained in me.
While I understand this people can hide behind can be used as a way to attack people or positions, I also understand that not everyone is comfortable with making comments using their real name.
Bloggers are used to putting our real names and taking ownership of what we are saying day after day, but not eveyone blogs and to some extent is yes people don’t want to put themseleves out there on every issue using their real name.
For example someone talking about a domain in an auction may not want to put his real name on the comment that they think the domain is overpriced, to avoid getting a call from the domain owner bitching about why he made a negative comment.
There are lots of reasons of why commentators want to hide behind a cloak of anonymity and they are all not for bad, malicious or evil purposes.
For me the biggest issue is that we are in an industry where its perfectly legal to use privacy to protect the identity of the real owners of a domain name, on the official ownership records of the central registry.
There are lots of reasons for using privacy as well and while some of these are to hide registration of TM domains or websites with malicious content and other shady issues, there are many valid reasons to use privacy.
So in an industry where its legal and perfectly acceptable not to even take “ownership” of a domain name, I think its tough to argue the same “protection” or option not to disclose your identity should not exist on a blog.
Personally I do not use Privacy and never have.
But the rules and rules and for now its still perfectly fine and dandy for someone to be the anonymous owner of a domain.
Of course things change.
TM groups have been pushing for Thick whois to apply to the existing extensions (like it will to the new gTLD;s) and the ability to register and hold a domain using privacy could go away one day.
I saw a bill for a new law floating around the UK this week that would hold blogs liable for comments made by anonymous commentators.
Of course if that was ever to become law in the US then our policy would have to change immediately, but for now I’m included to opt in favor of free speech, with the right to monitor and remove comments which I feel are abusive, well of topic, spammy or attack people quite personally having noting to do with events in the industry, that to close the channel off and silence those who are not brave enough to put their names on their comments.
I as well as you, are free to discount the authority you give such comments.
In my opinion a comment made under a real name will always in my book carry much more weight than one made anonymously, but there are a lot of relevant comments, good point and issues bought up and made by anonymous commentators.
As always I’m open minded on the topic and would like to hear what you have to say about it.
