What’s a real name?
When joining new online social communities, the default to sign up frequently requires a real name as the cost of entry. If there is a case for enforcing the concept of real names, we should start by examining what real names actually are. They vary widely from culture to culture in meaning, history, length, and order, and continue to be highly susceptible to change, differentiation, and permutation, accommodating for nicknames, marital names, and changed spelling.
My father didn’t know his real name. My father got his name from his grandfather and he got his name from his grandfather and he got it from the slave master.
Malcolm X
If a name were synonymous with identity, then the common practice of changing one’s name would be viewed as committing fraud.
Laura Heymann
Name Origins
Frequently came into existence for taxation reasons.
People have been named for “...nicknames, physical attributes, counties, trades, heraldic charges, and almost every object known to mankind.”
Halo of identity: the significance of first names and naming.
Surnames by ethnic group, and country/region.
Passing men’s names on to their wives and children is a fundamentally flawed practice.
Name Changes
The NYT on the right way to change your name after marriage.
Places where women can’t take their husband’s name.
Japanese woman forced to use her married name under 19th century law.
Changing spelling of immigrant names.
The artist formerly known as Prince.
Name Variations
Names vary widely from culture to culture in terms of meaning, history, rigidity, length and order, see this UK government resource.
Taking a global view, 0rder, inheritance, and ambiguity of names can be drastically different from Iceland to Malaysia, and from China to Brazil.
Understanding family names and their implications.
Dig deeper with Laura Heymann and her abstract on naming, identity, and trademark.
Falsehoods programmers believe about names.
Indian names have specific conventions along gender, location, and religious channels.
American Name Society: Promoting the study of onomastics.
What’s a fake name?
Fake names, or pseudonyms, have been around for centuries—before the internet was ever a hope or a dream.
Some have chosen to use pseudonyms to separate themselves due to fame or recognition. Others look to protect themselves (and their families) by separating their name from potentially volatile, counter-cultural or transgressive ideas (e.g. writers, artists, politicians, witnesses, and activists).
Different settings can call for different uses of names; nicknames within circles of friends and family, abridged names in casual settings, or an absence of names within support groups.
‘What’s your name?’ Coraline asked the cat. ‘Look, I’m Coraline. Okay?’ ‘Cats don’t have names,’ it said. ‘No?’ said Coraline. ‘No,’ said the cat. ‘Now you people have names. That’s because you don’t know who you are. We know who we are, so we don’t need names.’
Neil Gaiman
The degree to which a person’s name is a significant part of his or her identity varies from person to person. I see it, in some ways, as a matter of attachment. If your name is integral to your conception of who you are then you are probably quite attached to it; if not, then you probably aren’t.
spldbch
Sometimes you don’t know who you are until you put on a mask.
Alexander Chee
If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.
Cardinal Richelieu
Race & Ethnicity Bias
Responses to a video game that randomizes your race and gender.
There are many European Jews that see a need to hide their ethnic identity, as can be read about here, here, and here.
Muslim while traveling.
There are multiple studies on bias experienced by presumed ethnicity of names when applying for jobs or presenting themselves in written form, which you can read more about here, here, and here.
Yi Fen Chou is Michael Derrick Hudson.
Minority students often hear their name mispronounced, which sets up a different attachment to their given name or likelihood for preferring nicknames.
The impact of having an “Anglo” name as an immigrant or first-generation American.
Notoriety
Musicians and Actors: Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Madonna, Sting, The Edge, Moby, Marilyn Monroe, Tori Amos, Count Basie, Django Reinhardt, Lana Turner, Christopher Walken, Mata Hari, Elton John, Snoop Lion. Lady Gaga. P Diddy.
Athletes: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Babe Ruth, Whitey Ford, Sugar Ray Robinson, Action Jackson.
Businesspersons: Estée Lauder, Coco Chanel, Max Factor. What we lose when our leaders and organizations are radically transparent.
Writers: J.K. Rowling aka Robert Galbraith, Ayn Rand, Dr. Seuss, Joseph Conrad, Lewis Carroll, Molière, George Eliot. Reasons why author’s throughout history chose their pen names & the power to publish under one’s own name was simply not within the reach of most women, and, even when it was, it came at great risk.
Artists: Titian, Man Ray, El Greco, Banksy, SAMO, Marc Chagall, Picasso, Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner.
Politicians: Gerald Ford, Pol Pot, Joseph Stalin, Ho Chi Min, Kim II Sung, Leon Trostky, Che Guevara. Also name-changing politicians wrapup, and “VoteforEddie.com” & “Pro-life.”
Activists: Malcolm X, Mother Jones.
Online follows offline
An offline conversation disintegrates once all the parties leave the room. This impermanence allows space for candid exchange, open dialogue, learning and the choice to present oneself specific to the context.
If a conversation is preserved forever (hello, internet!) and tied to an identity owned by complex power structures, people are disincentivized from contributing. The constant awareness of surveillance discourages open communities and free-flowing idea exchanges.
Requiring a real name is not necessary or additive to most of these exchanges. In many instances, requiring a real name online is like requiring a passport to partake in banter at a coffeeshop—a reasonably semi-anonymous activity. It is useful to consider why a real name is necessary for similarly low-barrier exchanges online. It is useful to give consideration as to why a real name is necessary for similarly low barrier exchanges online.
We’re all viewed through multiple lenses; we always represent ourselves through multiple personae; and this isn’t a strange aberration or attempt at deceit but a fact of being human.
Tim Carmody
The practice of sharing one’s name is embedded in rituals of relationship building. People do not share their names with every person they encounter.
danah boyd
Most people who engage in lightweight obfuscation are not trying to deceive. Instead, they are trying to achieve privacy in public environments.
danah boyd
Why Facebook and Google’s concept of real names is revolutionary—The primary version of identity online is a radical departure from what we expect in real life.
Real name sites are necessarily inadequate for free speech.
Curbs on free speech are growing tighter.
How our contradictions make us human and inspire creativity.
A romantic relationship that does not exist digitally.
Protecting our privacy and staying secure in the physical world is second nature, yet online we rarely apply the same vigilance.
The future of digital technology will be shaped by the decisions we make about how to manage our digital identities.
The right to be forgotten is a concept that has been discussed and put into practice in both the European Union and Argentina since 2006.
A false shortcut
The often quoted argument goes that people will act more civil if they feel accountable and trackable, and that forcing a person to use their real name will accomplish this civility. Sadly, the studies and metrics don’t support this. (See links in the sidebar.)
Real name policies are a false shortcut, often an excuse for not doing the real work needed: community building and moderation of online content, comments, and interactions.
To the uninitiated, it might seem easy to blame the very things that make the internet great for the rampant abuse, but that reaction would be alarmist and simply incorrect.
Zoe Quinn
Those who mock the idea of safe space are most likely the same people who are able to take safety for granted.
Roxane Gay
We see valuable contributions from anonymous and pseudonymous commenters all the time, and they’ve made it clear, many times over, that they would not contribute otherwise.
civilized-conversation
Innovation happens at the edge, at the edge of our society and at the edge of imagination.” Inclusive design isn’t just about meeting the needs of the disabled, it’s about opening-up the possibility of creating better products and services for everyone.
Future Tense
Who’s Vulnerable
Of 8 tech companies, only Twitter says it would refuse to help build a Muslim registry.
GeekFeminism’s excellent and incredibly humbling list of who’s harmed by using real names.
(((Echoes))) exposed, the secret symbol neo-nazis use to target Jews online.
Women, LGBT least safe on Facebook, despite real name policy. Online harassment of women at risk of becoming established norm. And of course, classic cyber-bullying.
Companies aren’t always the most trustworthy when it comes to keeping private information private, like the glitches over Facebook’s private messages, or wavering policies over which data is stored.
And even when the company itself does its best… hacks, leaks and data breaches are getting ever more common. Peruse privacyright’s searchable database of breaches, or this infographic of the largest ones to date. Data breaches have become larger in number and impact, with over two billion stolen records in 2016 alone (and the year isn’t over yet).
A twitter thread, on how well meaning people can end up creating algorithms that are oppressive.
The role of data collection in genocides.
What’s next with Nazis? Let me school you on trolling.
By ditching usernames, OKCupid is removing a crucial protective barrier.
This is what it looks like when the U.S. President asks people to snitch on their neighbors.
Names & Civility
Real names don’t make for better commenters, but pseudonyms do.
Since the 1980s, anonymity has become an easy villain to blame for whatever fear people hold about social technology, even though lab experiments now point in a different direction.
The effect of anonymity on civility in online newspaper reader comment boards.
The immortal myths about online abuse.
Surprisingly good evidence that real name policies fail to improve comments.
What’s in a Nym? gender, race, pseudonymity, and the imagining of the online persona, by Ellen Molls.
On “identities”, “names”, “NAMES”, “ROLES” and Security: A Manifesto, by Charles Rackoff.
NPR website removes the comments section.
Regulating behavior in online communities: Evidence-based social design.
One Delightfully Clever & Slightly Shakespearean Way to Fight Trolls.
Context, risks, benefits & opportunities, best practices (Safe Spaces section).
Online Comments - a “wicked” problem. (Audio)
Online Comments – the view from the trenches. (Audio)
Amy Schumer on Twitter’s harassment. (Video)
'Incel': Reddit bans misogynist men's group blaming women for their celibacy.
Unenforceable rules
Currently there is no standard for online name verification. Every independent platform prioritizes different pieces of information for identification, and the processes to register, implement, and monitor are all over the map.
Some online systems rely on government documentation, others on search results for common words and pattern recognition. None of it exists to directly serve the user, and these systems actively frustrate, alienate, and cut off people across multiple demographics.
I have never seen a computer system which handles names properly and doubt one exists, anywhere… So, as a public service, I’m going to list assumptions your systems probably make about names. All of these assumptions are wrong. Try to make less of them next time you write a system which touches names.
Patrick McKenzie
Problematic Names
The inevitable fallout of naming your son ‘Hitler’ (Video)
Testing naming rights in the courts: NY Judge orders removal of defendants from The Daily News in civil lawsuit.
Too Common: Having the same name as someone else. (Audio)
Too Common: Traditionally in English law, a newly hired clerk that has the same name as an existing member of the staff is given a new one, allegedly to avoid confusion on the telephone.
Too Common: Every time the immediate society gets bigger, the existing naming structure doesn’t work.
Too Uncommon: An employee named Null and other names that break computer systems.
What names are allowed on Facebook? What types of ID does Facebook accept? (Official)
With sites rejiggering their algorithms, individuals keep getting caught unable to use the sites with their real names, or getting locked out mid-use. See some of the stories here, here, and here.
Facebook's real name policy is inherently naive, dangerous and evil.
Certain demographics have names that inherently complicate use of the site, such as Native Americans, drag queens, and transgender individuals.
Overviews on how Facebook’s policies put users at risks, and advice on getting around them.
Facebook launches verified accounts and pseudonyms.
Overview of Facebook real-name policy controversy.
Facebook reviews more than 6.5m reports a week relating to potentially fake accounts – known as FNRP (fake, not real person).
A Hacker News exploration of Facebook's real name policies.
Facebook's internal rulebook on sex, terrorism and violence.
Quora
What is Quora’s real names policy (Official)
How does Quora’s real name validation algorithm work?
After 3 years, Google rolls back of its ineffective, dangerous dumb real name policy, and apologizes.
Companies, governments, and researchers are obsessed with data. Not surprisingly, so are adversarial actors.
Why Twitter doesn’t care what your real name is. Reputation and influence matters—not names.
Twitter abuse: The troll problem keeps getting worse, especially for women and people of color. You can read more about it here and here.
Salesforce and Disney both pass on acquisition due to Twitter’s troll problem.
Twitter was so enamored of the idea that they had helped catalyze the Arab Spring that "free speech" became an unexamined article of faith.
Twitter struggles to interpret its own verification rules while hunting trolls.
Facial Recognition And Beyond
Facial recognition and tracking are the next generation of strategies to tie your physical body to your digital presence.
Crucially, it is by our faces that we can be recognized as individuals. Our faces bear the stamp of our experiences and our character; at forty, it is said, a man has the face he deserves.
Oliver Sacks
For me, authentic means the freedom to have multiple identities, fluid identities, and not be reduced to one consistent, objective self. Authentic means that we’re allowed to wear masks, that we can be angry, sad, and even negative at work. It means we can be truly human.
Tim Leberecht
Technology
Researchers produce images of people’s faces from their genomes.
We've already socialized facial recognition technology into our everyday communications.
Ways that facial recognition could impact product design.
Russian photographer shows how easy it is to track down people on social media using facial recognition software.
China is using facial recognition to nab jaywalkers, with leading Chinese startup valued at more than $1.5 billion.
Chinese company Cloud Walk is developing facial recognition AI that will be able to predict the chance of a crime occurring.
Blippar expands live facial recognition beyond celebrities and seeks to license its facial recognition APIs to third party developers.
Wisconsin company to implant microchips in employees.
Privacy experts say we might want to think twice before agreeing to let a camera scan our faces at the airport gate.
Other airline news includes Delta partnering with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on one-step facial recognition exit screening, and Singapore's Changi Airport using facial recognition technology to offer self-service options at check-in, bag drop, immigration and boarding.
Xinjiang, China uses facial recognition to monitor ethnic minorities with a geo-fencing system that alerts authorities when targets stray beyond a "safe area."
Facial-recognition technology is already deployed in retail outlets of all sorts and its use will radically increase in coming years.
Camouflage & Obfuscation
A top specialist at one of Russia's largest tech companies has invented an anti-facial recognition algorithm to conceal people's identities with the help of makeup.
CV Dazzle explores how fashion can be used as camouflage from face-detection technology.
Make up tutorial on how to hide your face from cameras (video).
Android phone app to counter facial recognition.
As the Trump administration expands the use of facial recognition, the startup D-ID has a plan to fight back.
Failures
How a facial recognition mismatch can ruin your life.
Face ID on iPhone 8 unable to distinguish between Asian faces.
German hacking collective called the Chaos Computer Club fooled Samsung’s iris scanner with a simple photograph and a contact lens.
Nest’s IQ camera highlights the faults of facial recognition.
HP Media Smart Computers unable to recognize or track black faces. (Video)
Nikon camera recognizes Asian faces as "blinking."
Soap dispenser that cannot recognize dark skin.
Then who benefits?
Governments are known to spy on the electronic activity of citizens. The NSA in the United States, CSEC in Canada, GCHQ in the UK, etcetera. These actions can be benign under one regime, but regimes turn over, and any information that exists eventually escapes.
Corporations also have their own incentives to comply. Whether to be able to operate within a certian country and win political favors, or for financial gain. Profits are made by collating information regarding an individual’s shoping habits, race, age, income, friendships, sexuality, voting history, fico score… and then selling to advertisers (or political capaigns).
Our past and future identities have been grasped as an economic resource for identity industrialists seeking new commodities.
Jonathan Cook and Tim Leberecht
Facebook does have a financial stake in people’s identities. Ads generate 69 percent of Facebook’s revenue total revenue—$3.54 billion. Facebook’s whole marketing strategy is inextricably hinged to the idea that users project their real or authentic identities—making it especially valuable.
Lauren C. Williams
The first one who has to protect your privacy is you.
Richard Stallman
Governments
Why we should care about governments collecting our data.
Russian personal data law set to come into force despite fears.
Making sense of China’s privacy laws.
South Korean court rejects online name verification law, in a win for online anonymity.
John Oliver and others discuss the NSA in the United States.
Muslim registry threats.
ACLU finds Facebook, Twitter and Instagram gave data to company tracking black protesters.
The secret agenda of a Facebook quiz: tracking psychological traits and gaining access to your profile data, to sell to political campaigns (and more).
The NSA and FBI violated specific civil liberty protections during the Obama administration by improperly searching and disseminating raw intelligence on Americans or failing to promptly delete unauthorized intercepts.
Under PRISM and Upstream, the U.S. government asks providers like Google, Microsoft, and Apple for the emails, texts, chats, stored documents, and other associated records of a target.
Big data meets Big Brother as China moves to rate its citizens.
Apple removes apps from China store that help internet users evade censorship.
Convicted by court-martial of violations of the Espionage Act: Chelsea Manning's NYT profile.
Historical precedent: Eastern Germany, Soviet Union.
Corporations
Highest bidders for data behind Facebook’s real name policy.
OkCupid study reveals the perils of big-data science.
If you want to know why privacy matters, the play’s the thing.
Om Malik: Silicon Valley has an Empathy Vacuum.
Endace: the little company helping governments protect private emails, online chats, social media conversations, and internet browsing histories.
Personalized data for ill intent.
Unroll.me faces backlash over selling user data.
U.S. Republican lawmakers made it legal for ISPs to sell search histories.
Privacy is a commodity for the rich and powerful.
Roomba looks to sell maps of your home to the highest bidder for smart home device manufacturers.
Apple's privacy feature costs ad companies millions.
Americans don’t like when companies infer their personal information—but marketers keep doing it anyway.
New EU data rules will get tough on privacy.
Surveillance / Data Identification
The politics, economics, and aesthetics of surveillance societies. (Video)
k-Anonymity (Wikipedia)
De-identifying data for advocacy organizations. (Video)
Risks and mitigations of releasing data. (Video)
Tools to investigate how your personal data is used by websites and applications.
Your Google searches can be used against you in court.
Every interaction with a computing device leaves a data trail, and whole industries exist to consume this data.
Now is the time to set down the conditions for how the data can be used so that the rewards—to individuals and to society—will outweigh the risks.
Hundreds of apps can listen for marketing ‘beacons’ you can’t hear.
“10 Concerts I’ve Been To, One is a Lie,” while a fun Facebook meme, might also be an invitation to a mid-level threat to your online privacy and security.
Surveillance is the business model of the internet.