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The case for dual identity

Everyone has a name.

That name is the basis of their identity and, in this second decade of the 21st century, your identity is becoming increasingly valuable, especially on the internet.

Companies such as Google and Facebook want to know all they can about each and every Net user. They build up a huge database of information on each and every one of us so as to create an incredibly valuable resource, the benefits of which they sell to anyone with enough money.

Then there are the scammers and phishers who wish to steal your identity so as to gain access to the rights which may be associated with -- such as your bank account.

And of course, we have "the powers that be" (TPTB).

TPTB are really ID-fanatics. They want you to have a passport, driver's license and all manner of other identifying documents -- along with a move now to a cross-agency universal ID system that will be mandatory if you want to interact with any arm of government or the state service.

Imagine the fun that the "evil little sods" of the world can have if they get their hands on that one!

So, ought we, as individuals, give consideration to having an alternative ID for use in cyberspace?

This already happens in many cases of course - with lots of folks having "usernames" on forums which serve as aliases -- but can we extend this further?

Ought we have the right to draw a line between our true identities and the name/ID we use in the online world?

Might cyberIDs provide a valuable level of indirection and abstraction between people and their online activities?

If online entities such as FaceBook, Google and a myriad of other "interested parties" have no way to link your cyberID and your real ID, the potential for abuse of the data they collect is greatly diminished.

Of course it could be argued that providing this degree of anonymity would simply make it easier for some to commit online crimes -- but is that really the case?

Just as it is already possible to trace an IP number back to a time and place, so it would be, even with the cyberID model. The big benefit however, is that it becomes much harder for nefarious types to correlate your online activities with your real-world ones.

How many people would actually find it useful to dissociate their realworld ID from their online one?

How many do it already?

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