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Can I See Your ID

By Adrianne Jeffries 9/22/11 8:48am

Can I See Your ID

diaspora logo

On Diaspora, You’re Free to Be Your True Pseudonymous Self

Remember when Google+ stole Diaspora’s thunder? Well there’s still something the indie social network’s got that Google ain’t. Diaspora recently broke its silence is sending out alpha invitations through October and has been sending alpha users long, high-minded emails about privacy on the web and freedom of data that often contain sly or outright references to Facebook. Last night’s email linked to an article on Inc.com called “Facebook is the most hated social media company.” Read More

By Adrianne Jeffries 8/03/11 12:03pm

Can I See Your ID

Mr. Karp.

Pseudonymity Debate Comes Down to Silicon Valley Machine Versus the New York State of Mind

Is New York’s start-up community more inclined to appreciate pseudoanonymity on the web than Silicon Valley? Besides Anil Dash and Caterina Fake, Scott Beale of Laughing Squid and Fred Wilson, New York is home to two prominent champions of the pseudonymous social web: David Karp of Tumblr and Chris Poole of 4chan, who has been fashioned by his media advisors into the philosophical foil for Mark Zuckerberg (and apparently, his sister Randi Zuckerberg) who recently said anonymous posting show “a lack of integrity.”

“Zuckerberg’s totally wrong on anonymity being total cowardice. Anonymity is authenticity. It allows you to share in a completely unvarnished, raw way,” Mr. Poole said during his SXSW keynote. Read More

By Adrianne Jeffries 7/26/11 1:54pm

Can I See Your ID

The pseudonymity debate as bingo, by geekfeminism.org.

Anil Dash, Caterina Fake and Google+ Stand Up for Pseudonyms

Google+ and Facebook are pushing users to use their real names everywhere on the web for their convenience and the convenience of the owners of the sites they’re browsing. The trend has clearly been a boon for sites like the Huffington Post, which can get 11,000 comments rife with inanity and raciscm on a single politics story. But we’re starting to get real pushback from–more than just 4chan’s Chris Poole–as more sites force users to comment using their real identities. After Google+ pissed a bunch of people off by deleting profiles that didn’t use real names, Google’s vp of product, Bradley Horowitz, announced today that users can now list “other names” on their Google+ profile and be found by search that way. Read More