Online Identity
Online identity is something that will continue to get more and more serious; identity theft, fraud, and online predators are just a few of the reasons that an identity, or rather confirmation of an identity, is so important. You might remember a credit card commercial (Visa, I believe), where the user puts his head through the screen and everyone in the office turns to see if they recognize him - well, that might not be too far off from where we will have to go with protecting and confirming our online identities.
In recent weeks, scandals involving an anti-Clinton video posted on YouTube by an anonymous creator (this was the original article I read about it, but it is no longer working - try this randomly chosen replacement) and an avid contributor to Wikipedia that faked their credentials has brought to light the dangers of online identities.
The first individual, who chose to remain anonymous, ended up being Phillip de Vellis, who worked for Blue State Digital, the company that provides consulting services to Clinton’s rival, Obama. Phillip’s identity was revealed, and his ties with Blue State Digital were separated.
The second individual, 24-year-old Ryan Jordan, passed himself off as a professor of theology, with a variety of degrees, but came clean after being brought into Wikia Inc, a for-profit company run by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales. Since the admission by Jordan, two top officials at Wikipedia have resigned (although the reason is not confirmed), the New Yorker magazine has issue an editor’s note regarding an interview from 2006 of ‘Essjay,’ and Wales has indicated that contributors may be asked to back up their credentials. This would bring Wikipedia closer to the model that Citizendium will be using.
Although creating an online identity is important, as is online anonymity, being able to prove that you are you even when you’re online will probably continue to be a theme discussed in the news and the blogosphere.