Whose There?

Denmark Will Forbid Anonymous Internet Use

The police in Denmark reportedly believe that using the web anonymously should be a thing of the past. That’s why the authorities are currently recommending that users’ identities should be verified before they are able to log on to the worldwide web. However, it seems that hoping that online anonymity is abolished and making it happen are absolutely different things.

According to media reports, interesting developments are taking place in Denmark. The police in the country are reportedly hoping that online anonymity should be abolished, but they don’t explain how exactly people are supposed to make themselves known to thus far anonymous connections. Meanwhile, the representatives of the country’s Ministry of Justice mention different possibilities like electronic signature, Social Security numbers, or SMS solutions.

In short words, the police will require that an Internet user doesn’t have access to the web before the information about their identity is registered and verified. However, if the police in the country plan to fight Internet anonymity in Denmark this way, it will most likely not work, because nothing can stop people from accessing TOR, for example. And if an Internet user accesses a site via TOR, then their IP address would be different, thus making it almost impossible to trace that individual back to the original IP address.

On the other hand, if the goal of the current proposal isn’t to end online anonymity altogether, then it is unclear what exactly this would accomplish. In reality, if people want to cover their online tracks and they have some idea of how to do it, they will undoubtedly be able to hide themselves from the authorities. In addition, people would never agree to use such things as social security numbers, because if they are used to verify Internet users’ identities, the chances are that third parties will be able to trace these numbers. As a result, identity thieves will be a huge step closer to stealing users’ identities.

Overall, this proposal will only be an extra strain on the system. Besides, it could cost plenty of money to enforce, and, finally, it is still unclear how such suggestion, if implemented, would be able to end online anonymity at all.