Ask HN: Selectively Refusing Anonymous Interactions?

1 pointskillermouse03y ago2 comments

I appreciate the freedom of speech that anonymity on the internet can allow. However, for content creators for example, I can see the value in engaging only with people who have provided their real identity, perhaps through a KYC process, mainly to reduce spam and increase safety.

Do you think social media platforms should allow you to require this level of identity verification, possibly through a checkbox like "accessible only to people who have completed KYC". Assuming this would be backed by regulations of some sort?

2 comments

0823498723498723y ago

I'm not too into "real identity"[0], but since I tend to manually filter by handles which have passed my personal[1] Turing Test ("has this handle presented ideas and defended them via logic and evidence?"), I would daydream about a checkbox like "no bots, non-heart-transplanted dogs[2], or low-engagement humans".

[0] despite which I've already easily leaked 33+ bits for this handle. Anonymity theatre is much easier than anonymity.

[1] I do seem to fail others' Turing Tests from time to time, so YMMV.

[2] cf «Собачье сердце»

anenefan3y ago

Only if search engines agreed not to (read never) provide any web results from an identity who was using whatever means to be an anonyphobe (even at a low threshold like 1% of the time) at a website or social media service.

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