Anonymity – What is it worth to you?

Some people love to use Avatars instead of their real photo online, others like to make up Alias names (or their alter egos) and then some just like to stay plain ‘Anonymous’.

You may have heard recently that South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson tried to ban online comments about the South Australian Election unless they were accompanied by the author’s full name and postcode to verify the comment as one from a real person, not a party hack. He’s since had to do a back flip just 24 hours later due to the outrage it caused among bloggers and the like.

I can see why some people like to retain their anonymity such as political bloggers & pollsters, corporate whistleblowers or staff complaining about their company or work conditions or Trolls who go around seeking trouble! Being anonymous allows us to basically view our opinions and battle others without fear of retribution or personal judgement…

I’m glad Attorney General Michael Atkinson did a back flip on this, after all we are in a day and age where you have to be careful what you say online for fear of being sacked or sued which certainly can impede on a person’s freedom of speech.

Being anonymous allows people to post opinions on behalf of themselves, without paranoid or logical concerns about what will happen to them professionally or personally if they speak up on an issue.

What do you think? Do you comment on news sites etc with your real name? Do you think it’s important we are able to remain ‘anonymous’ in public debate if we so choose?

Google (FOI) VS China (Censorship)

As a communications professional and the daughter of an artist, I am very passionate about freedom of information and expression without censorship so I felt compelled to add to the plethora of people talking about Google’s problems in China.

I’m so happy that Google are making a stand in China by not folding to the Chinese Government’s demands on internet censorship. It will be interesting to see how this will unfold as Google are now operating illegally and it is predicted they will likely be forced out of the country.

Hillary Clinton issued a statement about the stalemate, saying “We have been briefed by Google on these allegations, which raise very serious concerns and questions. We look to the Chinese government for an explanation. The ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in a modern society and economy.”

I’m not sure you will get an explanation from the Chinese Government Hillary….

It really is a bold move by Google who may be forced to lay off 600 workers and relinquish their estimated 36% share of one of the worlds largest and fastest growing economies – handing it over to their competitor Baidu, who currently have the estimated majority 58% market share. Then again, Google do have a substantial portion of the market share globally!

So I guess this is just a quick hat tip to Google for taking a stand on such an important human rights issue, despite the likely loss for their bottom line.

I’m quitting ice cream for a month!

If you can, please help me raise money for MSRA, they fund researchers seeking to find a cure to Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

I’ve elected to give up ice cream for a month! You can donate to me here or you can sign up to quit something yourself here….