Advertising, ad campaigns, ad agencies, and the people that make it happen

The anonymity of online communications is a big attraction for many people - and not just those who are up to no good. For many folks, the 'Net has long served as a place where they can interact with others without revealing anything personal. Or, as the famous New Yorker cartoon put it: "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." Many law enforcement agencies want to do away with anonymity on the Internet. They claim it makes it more difficult to identify criminals. Legislation has been proposed that would require all Internet traffic to include the identity of the person originating it. The CAN SPAM Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 2003 makes it illegal for commercial email messages to use false or misleading identifying information. Meanwhile, privacy advocates favor protections for those who practice anonymity on the 'Net. The ACLU has lobbied against requirements for ISP's to reveal the identities of their subscribers and see anonymity as a First Amendment issue. So, what do you think? Is it an idea whose time has passed, or is the ability to conceal your identity more important now than ever in these identity theft prone days?

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It's still very funny, and true!