Current Events > Should people be publicly accountable for what they say anonymously online?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Even in anonymous forums?

EDIT: For the sake of this question nothing said is illegal, like active plans to commit violence, etc.

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People should be accountable for what they say regardless of being anonymous or not.

Far too many cowards hide behind anonymity online.

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Not me. Just everyone else

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Wii_Shaker posted...

People should be accountable for what they say regardless of being anonymous or not.

Far too many cowards hide behind anonymity online.

I agree to an extent. I don't think something a 14 year old said on Myspace should ruin his life at 40 years old. People say stupid things and grow up after during the years.

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to an extent.

like, sometimes we're able to rant/open online up due to our anonymity, but if you're saying harmful/troubling/threatening stuff, then I think what you post should at least be looked into.

I don't think that doxxing is okay, though.

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If I find a way to expose a bigot, you can bet your ass they'll be exposed.

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Or, people could just not say stupid shit to begin with.

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PIITB415 posted...

I agree to an extent. I don't think something a 14 year old said on Myspace should ruin his life at 40 years old. People say stupid things and grow up after during the years.

I don't think something like that should ruin someones's life. But lets pretend that it did for a second. Cancel culture seems to be the only thing keeping people from outright belligerent.

If what you are saying holds so much weight it bites you in the ass 25 years later, you probably had some sort of comeuppance coming.

The problem is that people abuse free speech all the time and that's just the nature of having it in the first place.

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ReturnOfThaJedi posted...

Or, people could just not say stupid shit to begin with.

Define "stupid shit"

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Wii_Shaker posted...

People should be accountable for what they say regardless of being anonymous or not.

Far too many cowards hide behind anonymity online.

Basically what I was going to say, and to add, those people who hide and say these things should have little viability or relevance anyway. It's kind of like coyotes, they just hide, wait for a predator to kill it's prey, get it's fill, and then the little bitch scavengers come after to pick at the bones when it's dark.

So pretty much, it doesn't really matter what they say because they already present themselves as cowards.

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joe40001 posted...

Define "stupid shit"

Racism
Homophobia
Transphobia
Anti Semitic
Misogyny

You know, the stuff that the majority of people would never say in person, but feel like they can get away with it because theyre behind a screen. Some people arent as anonymous as they think they are and deserve to be exposed as the ignorant cowards they are.

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Message boards should be taken seriously

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shockthemonkey posted...

You made this topic in response to a super racist writer on Tucker Carlson resigning after his super racist message board posts were publicized.

This question is what it is as stated. It is not about any specific case.

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It'd be hilarious if they were.

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People should be accountable for what they say at all times, and doxxing is also reprehensible

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No.
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I think it depends on the influence that someone has, and the severity of what they're saying.

There's some retail guy grumbling online like "goddamnit my boss at whole foods treats me like a piece of shit, I hate my fucking job" - like whatever, dude is venting about a bad day at work, let him have his space. No info about where he works, no names, just an expression of frustration - whatever.

But on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you have a prominent personality with influence over a large audience - or a head writer for that personality - posting white supremacist buzzwords and racial/sexual slurs on an insulated forum where people are encouraged to be bigoted. That shouldn't be allowed to stand, because who knows how their racial bias is being expressed to their audience? Could be a TV personality, could be an internet personality, could even be a senator trying to appeal to the white nationalist vote and represent their interests in Congress. That shit needs to be exposed.

And then there's the unassuming person doing something shitty. Like a few years back, a couple moved into a neighbourhood where a guy had been selling street food for ages, and there's video of them yelling at this guy for having his cart on the side walk, about how he was apparently making it hard for them to walk their dogs. And it came to a head where this stupid chud of a boyfriend fronts on the street vendor, takes the man's cart and tips it over. Like yeah, fuck that random couple who came into a new neighbourhood and started yelling at this dude who had a business there before they ever lived there. If they're going to go around trying to ruin people's livelihoods and act untouchable while they do it, they can go and fuck themselves.

It's in the public interest to know the biases and general slant of public figures, as a general rule of thumb. Whereas if you try to expose and doxx that whole foods employee for venting about a bad day, on a private handle, in a way that isn't actively slagging the company off - that's a shitty thing to do. But then there's a middle area where some nobody is being a turd - and while doxxing would be extreme, I don't think there's any harm in shaming someone's behavior when they're unambiguously being a piece of shit and actively harming someone else with their actions. Naming, maybe not. Shaming - hell yes

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shockthemonkey posted...

Yeah but thats what provoked it and you made it known in that topic that you dont think someone who is influential in national discourse should be held accountable for being extremely racist because he was extremely racist anonymously.

That is not accurate to what I said. I raised the question of if doxxing is appropriate, because I was under the assumption culturally people thought not. I thought I would reword the question to remove the emotional baggage and ask it on a purely intellectual level.

I request you not mischaracterize me and engage the question in good faith as stated.

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Bananana posted...

People should be accountable for what they say at all times, and doxxing is also reprehensible

For an anonymous user to be held publicly accountable wouldn't their identity have to be revealed?

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Nah its a shitty thing to do


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@shockthemonkey

You post that as if it goes against what I literally just said, but it does not:

joe40001 posted...

I raised the question of if doxxing is appropriate, because I was under the assumption culturally people thought not. I thought I would reword the question to remove the emotional baggage and ask it on a purely intellectual level.

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Gotta be pretty recent imo, people change and can apologize. Specially if it was said when one was a stupid teenager.

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shockthemonkey posted...

Dont tag me buddy, Im already in your topic. You wanted to make sure there was clarity on what you said so I posted what you said. And again, you said that in response to a hugely influential tv writer being outed as a giant fucking racist.

I'm sorry if me tagging you upset you, I only did it because there was nothing in your post to quote. I won't do it in the future.

Do you disagree with the following statement: "I raised the question of if doxxing is appropriate, because I was under the assumption culturally people thought not. I thought I would reword the question to remove the emotional baggage and ask it on a purely intellectual level."

If you don't disagree then I do not understand your point. If you do disagree please explain how.


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shockthemonkey posted...

I dont understand why youre trying to argue about anything.

So you agree with the statement I just made?

If so there is no argument.

If none of your posts towards me were meant in any way critical then I apologize and was apparently confused.

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Only if it's a threat or incitement of violence.
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shockthemonkey posted...

You really need to be affirmed, huh?

I'm trying to have a good faith discussion. If you have a criticism then I want to understand it. Is that a problem?

edit: to be clear I'm being sincere and not upset

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shockthemonkey posted...

I dont understand what you need me to affirm. Weve clarified the context that provoked this topic. An influential television writer was revealed to have been anonymously posting extreme racist things.

It prompted the question, but by you bringing up that I felt an implication that you thought I was defending his awfulness/wrong and thus might myself be awful/wrong.

I guess I don't get why you brought up the observation that the idea for the objective discussion in this topic was inspired by the subjective story there.

Like yeah, it was, and water is wet, but why are we bringing that up?

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shock

stop being a tosspot

sheesh

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shockthemonkey posted...

Your initial post framed it all pretty lightly so I gave full context on what provoked this topic. I wanted to make it clear that this wasnt provoked by a poor worker getting #cancelled or whatever, and that the idea of can they hide behind anonymity also applies to influential figures in political discourse who have anonymously been spewing hate speech and publicly writing thinly veiled dog whistles.

This topic is just asking what it asks, it could extend to a poor worker, to racist tucker guy, to everybody in all directions, that's how rules work, but this topic isn't about any specific instance. Like I said I wanted to have a discussion without emotional baggage and ask it on a purely intellectual level.

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ReturnOfThaJedi posted...

Or, people could just not say stupid shit to begin with.

but people are stupid enough to post stupid shit

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joe40001 posted...

that's how rules work,

We don't need a hard and fast rule to apply to everyone in every circumstance. Context will change how people react, and that's okay. A Tucker Carlson writer will earn more scrutiny than a pizza delivery guy

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Having outlets where you can voice your thoughts anonymously is a godsend for having candid discussions where you're trying to find the best idea and more importantly this is allows whistleblowers to spread information without fear of retribution. People voicing offensive lines is a very, very, very small price to pay for the incredible amount of benefits the former 2 provide.

There's a reason why 4chan has the best model for the investigation of anything and discovery of the best investment picks alike.

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Sad_Face posted...

Having outlets where you can voice your thoughts anonymously is a godsend for having candid discussions where you're trying to find the best idea and more importantly this is allows whistleblowers to spread information without fear of retribution. People voicing offensive lines is a very, very, very small price to pay for the incredible amount of benefits the former 2 provide.

There's a reason why 4chan has the best model for the investigation of anything and discovery of the best investment picks alike.

Like investigating private celeb nudes, dead bodies, and school shooters.

I agree there's a place for anonymity, but there is also a limit. 4chan has cooperated with police investigations. The issue is where the line is.
I wouldn't want people to see all the stuff I've posted on GameFAQs, but I also wouldn't lose my job if they did. The same can't be said of some posters.

How many people would lose their jobs of their GameFAQs posts were made public?

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ChocoboMogALT posted...

How many people would lose their jobs of their GameFAQs posts were made public?

I'm sure quite a few given this kind of environment. But what does this have to do with this supposed limit of anonymous discussions outside of planning crimes?

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bump

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