Online identity is defined as, “a social identity that network users establish in online communities.” (Online Identity, 2007) Social identity is used to represent oneself in the virtual world. I have an online identity which is in my MSN Messenger; “Hapy tots always.” is my name. In a way it represents my character, which I want to tell people that I am jovial, and thinking positively is better than thinking negatively. Everyone who has me as their contacts in MSN will see this name whenever I am online, therefore promoting my “inner” self to them every time the see my name. Of course I have gotten different reactions to it. Some have asked me why I have put up that name, and some have asked me why have I put up such a “gay” name? My response for the first question would be “it’s me; I like to think that way”. Whereas for the second question, I would put up a huge defensive wall around me proving that I’m not “gay”.
Many online identities do not show the true identity of the user itself. As said in Judith`s article, “In communication, which is the primary activity, knowing the identity of those with whom you communicate is essential for understanding and evaluating an interaction. Yet in the disembodied world of the virtual community, identity is also ambiguous.” (Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community, 1996) These people are usually separated into 2 groups, those who assume different identities just for the fun of it, and there are those who do it for malicious purposes. For the latter group, they take on the identity of someone and use that identity to frame them, steal their money, make enemies, and many more. This is called Identity Theft. “Identity theft is the new crime of the information age. A criminal collects enough personal data on someone to impersonate a victim to banks, credit card companies, and other financial institutions. Then he racks up debt in the person's name, collects the cash, and disappears. The victim is left holding the bag. While some of the losses are absorbed by financial institutions -- credit card companies in particular -- the credit-rating damage is borne by the victim. It can take years for the victim to clear his name.” (Schneier on Security, 2005) Steps have been taken for this to be rectified, for example; more secure information are passed on through the internet via a more secure channel, companies are investing in certain sites which help to track down these people who steal identities. An example of a site which helps is http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/ . It actually gives you steps to take if you think your identity in the virtual world has been stolen. More websites like this are available throughout the net, but somehow identities are still being stolen.
As far as online identities are concerned, it looks like the criminals are always one step ahead of the good guys.
References:
(2007) “Online Identity” Wikipedia retrieved February 20, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_identity
(1996) “Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community” Retrieved February 20, 2007 from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html, S. Donath, Judith
(2005) “Schneier on Security” Retrieved February 20, 2007 from http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/04/mitigating_iden.html, Schneier, Bruce
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Firdhaus: Good start, but as given in the QotW, you left out the part about "how this chosen identity establishes reputation (i.e. via what kind of interactions). Finally, show how someone else could possibly assume this chosen online identity". This is to demonstrate how well you know the readings.
Almost there so you got a grade of 2/3.
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