Anonymity vs. Pseudonymity

At a recent Board of Selectmen meeting in Walpole, Mass., board members held Gary Nelson, owner and administrator of the community's website, Walpole.org, accountable for recent smear campaigns launched anonymously on the site. The Daily News Transcript reported today that Nelson remedied the situation by requiring all site participants to create accounts so that local residents posted either under their name or pseudonymously. The Daily News Transcript quoted John Palfrey, Berkman’s Executive Director (see photo), on Nelson’s response. "If people refuse to be accountable to the things that they're saying to one another online, I think that can lead to extremely destructive behavior in a community...." Palfrey said.