Is internet anonymity ruining humanity?

What i mean to say is that:

Is the fact people can be anonymous enabling a dark side to bloom?

Would that pedophile have got "that bad" that he/she acted on it because he was able to let the dark side grow with access to others, that he or she would not have been able to if it wasnt for the internet?

Murderers, criminals, gangs, scams, rape you name it - im not sure anonymity (while strangely justified on the net) is a good thing for humanity.

I speak my mind but if asked my name i dont really think it matters to anyone if people in the world know the name of some guy from England has this opinion or that, but then I have nothing to hide.

Your thoughts?

You can "walk" around talk to who you want, go places you want to go and all the while no one really knows or cares - you feel free and anonymous.

I think the internet allows people to take that far to far, far far to far. Perhaps if we had to have a license for the internet - less horrible # may go on.

I could be right i could be wrong, hence the thread. Half a million users, sounds like a good base for a decent generalized view

There's something in that argument.

Child porn and paedophile groups seem to have proliferated since the advent of the internet.
And undoubtedly it has enabled mad dog islamists to recruit new acolytes of murder and mayhem across the globe with the same facility of pushing some buttons in your living room.

But the day when internet anonymity is waived is the day I throw out my laptop.

a reply to: Biigs

Would that pedophile have got "that bad"…

Yah, sadly. Darkness seeks its own path. Like greed or drugs addiction to anything is its own driver.

Is anonymity better? Yes. People are freer to express without wondering if they'll get a bottle up side the head. How can you be offended by a computer screen?

I mean you can, but should you?

a reply to: intrptr

I agree fully.

But i fear the internet allows for negative social habits and attitudes to grow into REAL physical incidents and crimes.

Biigs,

Do you really want to know the solution, or are you married to the idea that somehow the internet and anonymity is to blame. I mean there is an actual solution to the problem mentioned, but every time I try and tell anyone I get attacked for coming out of left field. In other words, no-one wants to hear it. So... I ask in advance. Do you really want to know the solution? Or ... should I leave you guys to discuss anonymity and the internet in peace.

Mike Grouchy

originally posted by: Biigs
Is the fact people can be anonymous enabling a dark side to bloom?

Anonymous internet = dark side blooming? I don't see that at all.

The internet chat forums being anonymous can't ruin humanity.
Humanity already has a huge dark side.
The anonymous internet just takes the PC cover off.
It's not causing problems .. it's just exposing them.

a reply to: Biigs

But i fear the internet allows for negative social habits and attitudes to grow into REAL physical incidents and crimes.

Just my opinion but the people that are looking to get "physical" do that anyway. As an extreme example, serial killlers aren't born that way, they progressed from insult to harm over many years. Abusive people (people that enjoy hurting others) will become more abusive anyway irregardless of an internet.

They already practice their horrors in secret. Just like wife beaters and child molesters do that stuff behind closed doors, they don't wayne anyone else seeing what they do.

In that regard the internet may be a safety valve for them, it waylays the urge so to speak. Acting out fantasy keeps them from doing the real thing, sort of?

But I get your point too. Anything thats practiced becomes habit.

Do we know what our kids are doing on line?

a reply to: mikegrouchy

I feel that the freedom of the internet is an enabler of sorts.

Sure it allows for random people to talk to other random and thats usually a good thing, but when bad people get to talk to bad people, it expands their intel and desires.

You could be a guy looking to find a girl, you could be a pedo looking other pedos or a kid - the internet world is everyones lobster.


I question is on the whole the freedom of the average person is hindered by the freedom of criminals.

a reply to: Biigs



There are people on the internet that are sadistic and they often troll conversations to see if they can inflict any pain. The anonymity of the internet allows them to do that. Freedom of speech allows them to do that, but it also allows us to show their faces alongside what they said when they are found out. And there are ways to find them out. I envision a TROLL CATALOG of the future where people are called out for the things they do and say to others. They may escape THE LAW on a technicality but just like people responded to the Westboro Baptists, people will rally against TROLLS. Late Nite hosts are doing it now. I think the web, or as Larry the Cable guy calls it.."The Inner Tube" makes up for the negative aspects it thrusts upon us, by introducing educational access and many of "the positive" to those who might never have seen it. Knowledge is power. If someone is against education, beware of them.

As far as those with even worse things on their mind than trolling, the internet helps us catch them in various ways. The web leaves a trail we can follow. Many people are caught in sting operations. Child traffickers and pedophiles are being harvested off this thing everyday. I think right now it's a good thing...until they widen the nets and start to harass regular people for speaking out against this or that agenda in a non violent and non threatening way.

a reply to: Loveaduck

I mostly agree, but does the shear freedom exasperate the situation.

Is it not allowing a stage for it?

originally posted by: Biigs
a reply to: mikegrouchy

I feel that the freedom of the internet is an enabler of sorts.

Sure it allows for random people to talk to other random and thats usually a good thing, but when bad people get to talk to bad people, it expands their intel and desires.

You could be a guy looking to find a girl, you could be a pedo looking other pedos or a kid - the internet world is everyones lobster.


I question is on the whole the freedom of the average person is hindered by the freedom of criminals.

Ok,
I'll take that as a "no" to my question. This thread does not want to actually solve pedophilia, only to discuss the internet and if we can trust humans with freedom. Carry on.

/grouchy out

I'm not targeting pedophilia specifically, its just a very handy hot topic to expose this semi-dark net of people that troll, abuse, hurt and generally cause negative affects - for entertainment.

Are we really making it too easy for criminals?

originally posted by: Biigs
a reply to: Loveaduck

I mostly agree, but does the shear freedom exasperate the situation.

Is it not allowing a stage for it?

Freedom is always a good thing. People show their true colors and you can deal with them.

a reply to: Loveaduck

The problem is that with the internet, you cant.

What if its a guy from Uzbekistan chatting up your teenage child? What can you do besides deny the child the entire internet?

originally posted by: Biigs
I'm not targeting pedophilia specifically, its just a very handy hot topic to expose this semi-dark net of people that troll, abuse, hurt and generally cause negative affects - for entertainment.

Are we really making it too easy for criminals?

There are step by step instructions for how to build a pipe bomb or a dirty nuke and in those ways yes, but at the same time...you think those sites are not being monitored?

a reply to: Loveaduck

Because more kids get raped than get blown to bits by pipe bombs?

Mental scaring is just as bad as physical.

actually: quite pertinent to this subject....

Why is internet anonymity so guarded and held in such high regard.

The freedom to free speech is for PEOPLE who stand up and say their bit.

People on the internet stand up with no face and say any old bull# they want under this imaginary illusion that free speech applies to a faceless, anonymous and cowardly user of the internet.

Hardly any statement at all really.

originally posted by: Biigs
a reply to: Loveaduck

The problem is that with the internet, you cant.

What if its a guy from Uzbekistan chatting up your teenage child? What can you do besides deny the child the entire internet?

You could monitor the child. I am on the internet all the time and no body ever chats me up. You have to go to chat rooms for that. You could allow access to the internet but hardly any kids should ever be left without parental supervision. This is why they call 'em kids. Cheers

originally posted by: Biigs
a reply to: Loveaduck

Because more kids get raped than get blown to bits by pipe bombs?

Mental scaring is just as bad as physical.

I don't even think that is a fact. I am saying freedom is good but parents always have to monitor their kids. Chat rooms? Why would anyone go there? I guess people are starved for attention.