A Face to the Name

Last week, I spoke, more so rambled, off some potential ideas to resolve the problem that faces society due to anonymity. Just in case you wanted a tl;dr (too long; didn't read), here ya go:

1. Require Identification before using the Internet
2. Create laws and punishments policing those who abuse anonymity
3. Create policies to prevent the use of anonymity

Well you got your tl;dr but now I'm going to delve a little bit deeper into each of these, just a little, I promise no more rambling. I've actually got some quality information to back up my ideas, so fasten your seatbelt and hold on to your keyboards cause here we go.

First and foremost, identification. I actually thought I was crazy, I couldn't fathom how this would pass in congress, but in 2013 President Barrack Obama was rumored to have been planning to give the US Commerce Department authority of a potential cyber-security effort to create an Internet ID for Americans. The Internet ID to be called " National Strategy for Trusted Identities in CyberSpace (NSTIC). US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke stated

"We're not talking about a national ID Card, or a government control system, but a means to enhance online security and privacy, and the possible elimination of memorizing a dozen passwords by creating a digital identity" (McCullagh, 2011).

While I believe that having an Internet ID would not only be effective in deterring undesirable behaviors, it would be extremely efficient. The main purpose behind the NSTIC is to use create smoother usage across multiple government sites, by reducing the need to have multiple log-ins, with hopes to expand to the rest of the Internet. I forget all my passwords to the point where I just started making one password for everything. Even though I probably shouldn't be telling you this...but yes, I have two passwords that I alternate, on top of that I have every password saved on my Mac, auto-fill, credit cards saved. My computer is essentially all that the Internet ID aims to provide. To be able to order Chinese take out, or binge online shop without having to get up and get my credit card is great. Well great for me, my bank account not so much...

Having an Internet ID could help fight cybercrime and fraud, while it may not be advanced enough to catch an experienced hacker, it could definitely aid in catching spammers, and fraudulent sellers on websites such as Craigslist. The government argues that the need for an online identity is not to allow tracking of information, but to help us. The proliferation of online passwords are not only inconvenient, but they are insecure in 2010, 8.1 million adults in U.S. suffered from identity theft or fraud at the cost of $37 billion. (Badger, 2011).

Pros and Cons of Internet Identification

As you can see, to create an internet ID has both its Pros and Cons, which seems to be balanced. While in theory it seems like an efficient idea, the cons of the loss of privacy and anonymity are equally valued. Security technologist and chief security technology officer of BT, Bruce Schneier believes that abolishing anonymity will never work, that all designs of the internet requires anonymity and that a form of universal identification is impossible. He furthers his argument by stating that even if we were able to trace internet packets back to its origin, there is no proving that a packet was directed by a particular person. Check out his article here! It's a good read, and may put my solution to shame, but he does make some valid points...

I know I said I wouldn't ramble, buttttt I never made any promises, actually I did, sorry. Here's a picture of a cute cat:

Also, just in case you got lost in the ramble, this video might help clear up some facts about NSTIC. How nice of me. I know.