Does Online Communication Compromise the Rights of an Individual When Essay

Does Online Communication Compromise the Rights of an Individual When Information is "Anonymous" - Essay Example The effect of anonymous online communication on the rights of individuals still remains a hotly debated topic in the coming years. Different scholars have divergent views with regards to the issue. Neil Swidey on one hand believes that it compromises the rights of the individual because many people post abusive and vitriolic stuff that are often eliminated by the site moderators (Akrivopoulou and Garipidis, 148). He argues that anonymous posters may sometimes become offensive thereby calling into question the nature as well as the value of online communication. Ian Lloyd, on the other hand, maintains that anonymous online communication does not compromise the rights of the individuals. He argues that there is a legal approach that protects anonymity and privacy. Even though the legal approach that is directed online communications tries to safeguard personal rights, people may often have bad intentions; therefore, life in this digital age may be subject to breaches of trust (Akrivopoulou and Garipidis, 148). However, it is worth noting that the use of anonymous online communication is unstoppable because its benefits do outweigh any limitations they bring. The government and the media should be involved in identifying how to harness the potential of anonymous online communication to inform the general public better by making sure that the good intentions do not often backfire. According to me, I tend to think that anonymous online communication is not capable of compromising the rights of the individuals in case it is used correctly because it has more good than harm. First, anonymous online communication actually protects the rights of individuals. It has greatly helped investigative journalists who frequently use it when investigating new stories. Such people have been able to gather information that they wouldn’t have reached had they used direct