Chatting With Strangers

 I'm not a big fan of anonymity on the Web. I recognize its importance, particularly for people who live in countries with governments that monitor Internet activity. But with anonymity comes a certain lack of accountability that I find distasteful. Anonymity can shield you from persecution but it can also give you free license to behave badly with no regard for anyone else. Even people who don't set out to cause mischief might say hurtful things in chat rooms or on message boards that they'd never say out in the real world.

The recent media storm around Chatroulette brought new attention to this problem. In case you're unfamiliar with the site, Chatroulette pairs up strangers randomly for a chat session. It's similar to other chat services like Omegle. But Chatroulette adds video and audio to the basic chat room experience. 

I'd like to think the Russian teenager who created Chatroulette did so as a fun experiment. I'd also like to think that most people on there are just looking to have fun chatting with strangers. But I'm aware that a significant number of users are looking to shock, offend or seduce the people they encounter online.

Personally, I find this behavior distressing. It's not because people are being mischievous. I've been known to pull pranks and behave badly in the past. I'm more concerned at the lack of a sense of self-preservation these people seem to have. It's not hard to capture images or video. There are already several blogs that host captured footage from Chatroulette for the amusement of viewers. Consider that Chatroulette really isn't entirely anonymous -- you could be identified by your family, friends, school or job. I would like to think more people would show a little concern for their futures before jumping online and soliciting strangers for netsex. 

Here's where I think anonymity on the Web has become really dangerous. We're used to being able to assume another identity when we go online. Whether we use a handle on message boards and chat rooms or we visit message boards like 4chan's infamous /b/ channel, we've come to rely on being someone other than who we really are. In a way, this has led us to feel that what we do on the Web doesn't have real-world consequences.

That's not true. Ask Rosemary Port, who was sued by model Liskula Cohen for making defamatory remarks in an anonymous blog. Cohen successfully convinced a court to order Google to reveal Port's identity. Now Port has a $3 million lawsuit to deal with.

I imagine it's just a matter of time before user antics on Chatroulette lead to scandal. It could lead to an employee being fired for misbehavior, a school system expelling a student or even to charges of child pornography. I'm not saying Chatroulette itself is bad -- it's a tool like any other. But because the Internet has fostered both anonymity and irresponsibility you'll likely encounter the worst the Web has to offer while searching for a conversation.

If you want to read more about the relationship between anonymity and accountability on the Internet, I recommend you take a look at Daniel J. Solove's "The Future of Reputation."

Photo credit: Barry Austin/PhotoDisc/Thinkstock