Which Internet Pioneer regretted the Internet's Anonymity

March 3, 2009 10:59 AM

Which famous Internet pioneer regretted the anonymity of the Internet?

I forget who it was. Was it Tim Berners-Lee who said his one big regret about the Internet was anonymity? I'm trying to write something about this topic.

posted by philosophistry to Computers & Internet (2 answers total)

Best answer: Its Vint Cerf

"We weren't sure if any of this stuff would work, and that's what we were focused on," says Vinton Cerf, who helped create the Internet protocol schemes still in use today. He regrets not making the Net more traceable, but he wouldn't have banned anonymity. "I would have established mechanisms to authenticate computers and individuals. I wouldn't have made this mandatory, but I would have made it possible." Daniel Lynch, who worked on the network in the 1970s, adds: "We were techies, we weren't trying to solve society's ills. I thought this would figure itself out, but it's taking a lot longer than I imagined."

posted by damn dirty ape at 12:02 PM on March 3, 2009

Best answer: Vint Cerf
posted by randomstriker at 12:05 PM on March 3, 2009