In an era where everyone uses internet, the security of people became an important issue. There are a lot of attempts from different companies, governments or internet providers to make internet a safer place. One of these ideas is license-required digital citizenship. This idea states that everyone who uses internet must have a license and a citizenship to use internet. This idea can solve many problems relating safety of digital world. However, it also contradicts one of the most fundamental feature of the internet, anonymity. So, is it really a great solution or is it just an idea which restricts freedom of speech?
Anonymity empowers individuals to express their thoughts, opinions, and ideas without the fear of serious consequences. This is especially crucial in regions of the world where freedom of speech is restricted, as it enables dissenting voices to be heard without a fear. In many parts of the world, especially third world countries freedom of speech is limited or restricted and anonymity creates a way for these people to voice their opinions freely. This benefit is one of the most crucial thing the anonymity can provide: A basic human right, freedom of speech.
Another fundamental human right anonymity in internet usage can provide is privacy. Anonymity provides individuals with a shield, allowing them to navigate the online space without fear of unwarranted intrusion. This is particularly vital in an age where personal information is a valuable commodity, with privacy breaches becoming all too common. Anonymity safeguards users from the prying eyes of malicious actors, protecting them from identity theft, stalking, and other forms of cybercrime.
On the other hand, allowing everyone to be anonym and free on internet is not a great idea either because it would be very dangerous for people to use the internet. Unless there is some kind of a limit to the anonymity dangerous people on internet such as hackers cannot be detected and punished by the authorities. Therefor, there should be some features which should protect users and limit the anonymity to some degree to make digital world a safer place for people to use.
In conclusion, as the internet continues to be a greater part of our lives, we should create a both safe and free internet. We must allow anonymity as much as possible without making it possible for dangerous people on the internet to use anonymity to hide their misbehaviour. But to achieve this we must also limit the anonymity to some degree and allow some authorities to detect and protect the people.