> A Brazilian court has ruled that Secret must be removed from app stores
> there, and existing installs must be remotely wiped.
> *The UK's House of Lords has essentially recommended the extinction of
> online anonymity
> <https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140729/10593428044/uk-government-report-recommends-ending-online-anonymity.shtml>*


As The Economist recently put it
> <http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21613160-facial-recognition-systems-are-getting-better-clocking-peoples-clocks>:
> "the idea that anyone will be able hide for long in Nepal, or anywhere
> else, looks quaint."


It's true, particularly enlightened governments may *delay* all this
> cross-indexing; but* nobody will stop* it. Eventually, ubiquitous public
> surveillance-a de facto panopticon-will become too easy, and too cheap, to
> resist.


Online anonymity is important because it's the only kind we can save. The
> obligatory Oscar Wilde quote: "Man is least himself when he talks in his
> own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." Yes,
> anonymity is frequently-in some contexts, even usually-misused. But
> eliminating it will not eliminate online vileness.



> There's also an extremely important place for pseudonymity, for people who
> want to maintain a consistent identity without revealing their so-called
> wallet name. "We need space to experiment and risk-tolerant environments
> where people can learn," argues Lydia Laurenson in The Atlantic
> <http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/08/a-more-pseudonymous-internet/375704/>.
> But let's not confuse the issue; pseudonymity is important, but it is no
> substitute for true anonymity.



> As Noam Chomsky once said, "If we don't believe in free expression for
> people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." Anonymity isn't
> extraneous to free speech; it's a crucial component.
>

*Banning all anonymity apps, and requiring all online users to register
> their identities, are the two worst ideas I have heard in some time *



Thanks,

Charlie

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