I'm not all talk

Now what kind of activist would I be if I didn't have any solutions? I'm not all talk; in fact I have some potential solutions to some of the problems that Internet anonymity causes.

For one thing we could change the technology we use and have everyone require identifying information prior to logging on to the Internet. Just like going to the library, driving a car, going to the bank. You have an identification card, where everything can be linked back to you. If need be a police officer could pull your whole driving history, similarly if the situation arises your browsing history is easily accessible.

So why not implement the same thing as the Internet? Have parents register their children when they reach 13, or any particular age with an Internet log-on ID. Every time you sign on to a web browser, or connect to Wi-Fi you type in your 8-digit code. Doing so mirrors some state universities where in order to connect to Wi-Fi or use a computer you are required to enter a login. While officials don't monitor it daily, if anything happens there is a way to determine who said what.

Maybe, that's a little far fetched, potentially an invasion of privacy. The world doesn't need to know that I sometimes end up on the Kids Section of Netflix and binge watch Disney Channel movies at 4AM....

How about, we enforce harsher punishments and create laws against cyberbullying. One problem with cyberbullying is that it is such a new concept that laws have not been accommodating, the federal government should work on creating laws toward policing these people. Now cyberbullying isn't just for teens, tweens, and everything in between, but for vengeful, or malicious people who leak information not to be in public: such as Kim Kardashians claim to fame, or The Fappening. The creation of anonymous accounts allows you to post whatever you want, whenever you want, without repercussions. So why not employ tech savvy to police and punish them?

While these are all hypotheticals, some states across the country have taken action against anonymity.  Without infringing on ones right to browse anonymously, they simply remove the capability of posting comments anonymously. If you wish to post something, there is no persona to hide behind, websites such as Huffington Post, ESPN and many other sites require you to create an account with them, or link it with a registered site such as Gmail or Facebook (Manjoo, 2011). The Internet Protection Act drafted in New York requires a little more; instead you must verify your IP Address, your name and home address (Mathias, 2012).