When anonymous speech is destroyed, whether under a boot and rifle shot, or via a simple mouse click on a massive social networking site, the damage is strikingly similar in the long run.
People become nervous about speaking their minds. They fear what their neighbor or employer will find out about their private lives. They self-censor and retreat from public life and discourse.
Lauren Weinstein on the Facebook offsite commenting system, and the Universal Identity concept as implemented by Facebook.
I used to be much in support of the Facebook model of integrity – afterall, why would you want to be a different person with different people, but the richness and range of human experience that makes possible has been convincing me otherwise.
(via fascinated)
Compelling argument.