This is a purely hypothetical piece of writing. I am questioning the viewpoints of other people and do not necessarily agree with what is written, nor am I promoting hate crime via the internet.
We must question if we should allow individuals to remain anonymous on the internet, even if their views are controversial. Frequently people have written offensive comments on the internet, using a false name to keep themselves anonymous. In some of these cases, the individual has been tracked down and punished by legal bodies in real life. However, the internet is a place separate from real life, so why can’t individuals say what they want to?
For example, a person has a particular unpopular belief and sharing said belief would not be socially acceptable. Doesn’t that person have the right to share and discuss their view somewhere without consequence? If someone writes a controversial view online under a pseudonym, should we punish them in real life, stating their real name in a national newspaper?
We must decide whether the internet should be seen as a ‘safe space’ to share controversial views or whether these views should be monitored and treated as a crime like they would be in ‘real life’. If a person wants to share their unpopular view online using a pseudonym, should we see this as a crime or an extension of ‘freedom of speech’?