its a blog

I've linked an artice posted by David Wong from Cracked.com

Altho it is a humor artice I found that it drove home a very interesting point with the #1

Forcing everyone who logs in to have a PIN number seems very possible and could put an end to alot of piracy on the web.

Frogboy has posted a few threads about piracy and what would be viable copyright protection. It looks like the best is something nobody would want.


Comments (Page 1)
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on Nov 11, 2008

Well, the point of the article was that a lot of people would want that - specifically, copyright holders and anyone who works for them or owns stock in their companies. Reducing or eliminating internet anonymity would not eliminate piracy but it would bring it much closer to conventional (trackable and prosecutable) theft.

Frankly, I wouldn't have a problem with that approach. I don't hide on the internet. I use the same nickname almost everywhere and even where my name is slightly different my "- Ash" signature or my avatar are reasonably distinctive. There have even been a couple times where I've done some assholish things and been called on it because of how traceable I am but I haven't changed my posting habits to make me any less accountable for my own behaviour. Personally, I wouldn't be giving up much except a little flair going from "Asharak" to "Asharak, Net User 15664676".

I'm mostly just playing devil's advocate here, by the way. I realize there would be a ton of real and significant legal and moral issues with trying to make everyone register on the internet and I think a lot of those objections would be pretty valid. I'm just pointing out that the idea isn't necessarily a total non-starter for everyone.

- Ash

on Nov 11, 2008

Yeah I should have said "alot of people wouldn't want" not everyone.

Personaly, I enjoy some of the anonymity (not because I harass or do anything illegal mind you) its that you can act like someone your not for games a couple of hours a day.

I would not however obstruct any efforts and would probably end up enjoying -some- of the regulation after what has been going on with the US election. Every comment section anywhere had comments regarding the election regardless of topic.  

Maybe the "Big Brother" just makes me hesitant.

I did laugh my ass off at John Giabriel's Greater Internet ******* Theroy. 

on Nov 11, 2008

Trolls can be banned. But once privacy is gone, it's gone for good, and you can bet the government will be all over that new "option". Not a fair trade at all, IMO.

on Nov 12, 2008

Hi!

I don't hide on the internet. I use the same nickname almost everywhere

Yes, obviously you don't hide.

BR,  Iztok

on Nov 12, 2008

Iztok Bitenc
Yes, obviously you don't hide.

For anyone who actually knows me, that nickname is just as good as my actual name at identifying me. It was given to me early in high school and I've used it in various contexts ever since. You also missed that my point was about being accountable across different internet communities, which is the only context in which I have any interest in knowing you or anyone on this site.

To address the issue of 'net-to-real-world accountability: I would have no problem allowing a legal authority that I recognize (i.e., my government) to consistently link my posts to my place of residence, which is what we would be talking about in the case of an Internet PIN. That does not, however, mean I have to be OK with giving every random forum poster the means to knock on my door whenever they want.

More generally, the use of an alternate name on the 'net does not necessarily tell you anything about someone's intent to hide. People use nicknames on the internet; it's just "what is done". I created my first 'net account as Asharak because it sounded cool and because using something other than my real name was the socially-expected convention.

I suppose I could even argue that most nicknames actually tell you more about a person than their real name, since people get to pick nicknames that have some meaning to them while their real names are effectively randomly assigned by their parents. For instance, "Asharak" tells you (possibly after a quick Google) that I am a fan of David Eddings' fantasy series The Belgariad. If I told you my real name was, oh, Steve LaRoche, you know no more about me than if I'd said it was Xjgifdgh Twofhasf.

All that said, do you care to share an opinion on the topic itself or would you like to continue criticizing your fellow posters while ignoring the actual discussion?

- Ash

on Nov 12, 2008

I tried that beta stupidity detector, but somehow everything I thought should be flagged stupid was OK. I wonder what you have to type to get a false positive, and how long it will be before processors and linguistic software are strong enough to really do the job.

"Mary had a little lamb, its feets were gargling over Pradas" was "not likely to be stupid." At least the results wording is suitably tentative.

on Nov 12, 2008

Yeah, I couldn't get it to flag anything as stupid either.

on Nov 12, 2008

My 'nick' is actually my True Name, in contrast to my incarnation name. Both have meaing. My incarnation name means Man like unto God from the island of The Word. My True Name has two meanings: The Lord and Great Lord.

on Nov 12, 2008

Sarissi
My 'nick' is actually my True Name, in contrast to my incarnation name. Both have meaing. My incarnation name means Man like unto God from the island of The Word. My True Name has two meanings: The Lord and Great Lord.

woah, things just got weird

on Nov 12, 2008

Did you say

Xjgifdgh Twofhasf.
?   He owes me money !!!  

i don't think Iztok was accusing you of hiding but was instead just pointing to a funny bit of irony.

Anyway, I can't get to that link, my work computer is blocking that site. But i'll imagine what we're talking about. I don't think we'll ever see anything like a net-pin. My bet is the government has already thought of this but couldn't find a way to implement it.

on Nov 12, 2008

Trolling (at least in and of itself) isn't illegal, last I checked. There's always going to be assholes, at least on the Internet, they can be banned. Do we really WANT more government regulation of the Internet? I sure don't. The Internet is the closest form of pure democracy in the world. Anyone's voice can be heard. You start bringing in government regulations on "trolling" and the government starts deciding what kind of speech is and is not acceptable. Idunno about you all, but I really don't trust them with that power.

on Nov 12, 2008

While Kryo probably doesn't see much of it on Stardock's sites, I'm a moderator on a much larger site - as in hundreds of thousands of active users. Trolling by itself is annoying and easily handled by site staff. Unfortunately the actual illegal activities are much harder to deal with: stalking, harrassment, actual cyber bullying, underage porn, fun stuff like that. The problem is, the people who do crap like this switch IP addresses often enough that simply IP bans are insufficient. We used to have the Kill On Sight list, where any new account that even hinted at being the person in question was banned out of hand, but it was discontinued do to the high rate of false positives.

While I agree a national system would be too invasive, something needs to be done to reduce the layers of anonymity some people are currently abusing.

on Nov 12, 2008

Unfortunately the actual illegal activities are much harder to deal with: stalking, harrassment, actual cyber bullying, underage porn, fun stuff like that. The problem is, the people who do crap like this switch IP addresses often enough that simply IP bans are insufficient.

 

IP bans, for criminal activity.  It's a form of stupidity.  There should be an agency to call, track the fuckers down(it's almost always childs play), and charge them.  IP ban's are just the virtual form of Walmart telling a shoplifter they don't get to come back.  That has dick to do with handling illegal activity.  We just have a lazy shit law enforcement system that wont bother with petty stuff.  Someone has to die before they'll pay any attention.

on Nov 12, 2008

I tried that beta stupidity detector, but somehow everything I thought should be flagged stupid was OK. I wonder what you have to type to get a false positive, and how long it will be before processors and linguistic software are strong enough to really do the job.

I don't know what it considers stupid either,

IM'A FIRIN' MA LAZER!
O o
/¯/
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
| BLAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGG!!!!
|
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
\_\

Doesn't set it off.

One thing I'm worried about is that you could have another form of identity theft with people stealing a person's log in PIN.

on Nov 12, 2008

Someone has to die before they'll pay any attention

People have died.

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