Information AboutOnline Identity |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ONLINE IDENTITY | |
| internet privacy | |
| virtual communities | |
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ONLINE IDENTITY VS. "REAL LIFE" IDENTITY Online identity is far more malleable than "real life" identity; the latter is shaped by factors that are difficult to control (including race, class, occupation, and level of educational achievement). By means of online identities, people are free to redefine themselves as they wish. (In Peter Steiner's famous and other virtual communities. Still, some Internet users say that their online identity more accurately reflects their "true selves" than the identity they have acquired offline. Many Internet users have more than one online identity, a fact that is partly attributable to the lack of an identity management infrastructure that would enable a person to use a provable online identity in two or more online communities. Yet multiple online identities often arise under circumstances that raise accountability questions. For example, a person might initiate a new online identity to escape the consequences of a negative reputation, to alter the outcome of an online vote, or to provide additional support for a point made in an online discussion. At online auction sites, sellers sometimes log on with multiple, fictitious identities in order to bid prices up. A given online identity is not necessarily tied to one actual person. A group of people can work together to establish a single online identity. Internet users commonly believe that an online pseudonym gives them Anonymity ; however, a determined investigator can often draw a connection between an online identity and a "real life" legal identity. Web Server and Internet Service Provider (ISP) Logs keep a record of the IP Address that is associated with a given online identity; in the U.S., an ISP must divulge this information when it is subpoeaned. In addition, users often disclose Personally Identifiable Information in their User Pages , and it is often possible to draw a connection between a pseudonymous online user's writing style and text posted elsewhere on the Web, some of which may reveal the user's "real life" identity. By means of anonymizing services such as Anonymous Remailers , Internet users can obtain more anonymity, but many Web sites block IP Addresses of these services because they are often used by Internet Trolls , Vandals , and Spammers . REPUTATION MANAGEMENT Given the malleability of online identities, economists have expressed surprise that flourishing trading sites (such as eBay) have developed on the Internet. When two pseudonymous identities propose to enter into an online transaction, they are faced with the systems, such as eBay's Feedback system, which record transactions and provide the technical means by which users can rate each others' trustworthiness. ONLINE IDENTITIES AND THE MARKET An online identity that has acquired an excellent reputation is valuable for two reasons: first, one or more persons invested a great deal of time and effort to build the identity's reputation; and second, other users look to the identity's reputation as they try to decide whether it is sufficiently trustworthy. It is therefore unsurprising that online identities have been put up for sale at online auction sites. However, conflicts arise over the ownership of online identities. Recently, a user of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game called Everquest , which is owned by Sony Online Entertainment, Inc. , attempted to sell his Everquest identity on eBay. Sony objected, asserting that the character is Sony's Intellectual Property , and demanded the removal of the auction; under the terms of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), eBay could have become a party to a Copyright Infringement lawsuit if it failed to comply. Left unresolved is a fundamental question: Who owns an online identity created at a commercial Web site? Does an online identity belong to the person who created it, or to the company that owns the software used to create the identity? ONLINE IDENTITIES AND THE LAW As the previous section suggests, online identities raise numerous unresolved legal questions: Is the creation of an online identity an act of speech, and therefore subject to protection under laws guaranteeing freedom of expression? Can the identity be protected by Right Of Publicity or Trademark law? Does it have rights (independent of the person or persons who created it?) Can it be defamed? ONLINE IDENTITY AND IDENTITY MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURES A problem facing anyone who hopes to build a positive online reputation is that reputations are site-specific; for example, one's reputation on EBay cannot be transferred to Slashdot . Multiple proposals have been made to build an Identity Management Infrastructure into the Web Protocols . All of them require an effective Public Key Infrastructure so that the identity of two separate manifestations of an online identity (say, one on Wikipedia and another on Kuro5hin ) are ''provably'' one and the same. ONLINE IDENTITY AND USER'S RIGHTS The future of online Anonymity depends on how an Identity Management Infrastructure is developed. Law Enforcement officials often express their opposition to online Anonymity and Pseudonymity , which they view as an open invitation to criminals who wish to disguise their identities. Therefore, they call for an identity management infrastructure that would irrevocably tie online identity to a person's Legal Identity ; in most such proposals, the system would be developed in tandem with a secure national Identity Document . Online civil rights advocates, in contrast, argue that there is no need for a privacy-invasive system because technological solutions, such as Reputation Management systems, are already sufficient and are expected to grow in their sophistication and utility. ONLINE IDENTITY AND THE CONCEPT OF THE MASK David Wiszniewski and Richard Coyne in their contribution to the book Building Virtual Communities raise the concept of the relationship between mask and online identity. In this contribution they explore the philosophical implications of online identity. In particular, they examine the concept of “masking” identity. They point out that whenever an individual interacts in a social sphere they portray a mask of their identity. This is no different online and in fact becomes even more pronounced due to the decisions an online contributor must make concerning his or her online profile. He or she must answer specific questions about age, gender, address, username and so forth. Furthermore, as a person publishes to the web he or she adds more and more to his or her mask in the style of writing, vocabulary and topics. Though the chapter is very philosophical in nature, it spurs the thinking that online identity is a complex business and still in the process of being understood. First of all, does the mask truly hide identity? The kind of mask one chooses reveals at least something of the subject behind the mask. One might call this the “metaphor” of the mask. The online mask does not reveal the actual identity of a person. It, however, does reveal an example of what lies behind the mask, For instance, if a person choose to act like a rock star on line, this metaphor reveals an interest in rock music. Even if a person chooses to hide behind a totally false identity, this says something about the fear and lack of self-esteem behind the false mask. Second, are masks necessary for online interaction? Because of many emotional and psychological dynamics, people can be reluctant to interact online. By evoking a mask of identity a person can create a safety net. One of the great fears of online identity is having one's identity stolen or abused. This fear keeps people from sharing who they are. Some are so fearful of identity theft or abuse that they will not even reveal information already known about them in public listings. By making the mask available, people can interact with some degree of confidence without fear. Third, do masks help with education? Wiszniewski and Coyne state “Education can be seen as the change process by which identity is realized, how one finds one’s place. Education implicates the transformation of identity. Education, among other things, is a process of building up a sense of identity, generalized as a process of edification.” By students interacting in an online community they must reveal something about themselves and have others respond to this contribution. In this manner, the mask is constantly being formulated in dialogue with others and thereby students will gain a richer and deeper sense of who they are. There will be a process of edification that will help students come to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Wiszniewski, Dorian. , & Richard Coyne (2002), Mask and Identity: The Hermeneutics of Self-Construction in the Information Age. In K. Ann Renninger & Wesley Shumar (Ed.) Building Virtual Communities (pp. 191-214). New York, New York: Cambridge Press. SEE ALSO |
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