Online anonymity is a double edged sword. You can safely go online and surf the web, and remain unknown to people you may come into contact with. This, many people are finding out, is also a problem. It has come into light that the internet can be a very nasty place when no one knows who is behind the keyboard.

It is rather easy for websites to track user’s locations, what browser they are using, and other information. What no one can tell you though, is who exactly is behind the keyboard. Psychologists confirmed that the mask of anonymity can eventually make anyone do something they wouldn’t normally do.

Message boards are a good example of the problem. Many message boards can have very rude members that shout threats, rants, and other things that in real life, they would never say. It is a way to express yourself without giving up your identity, psychologists agreed. Doing other things such as looking at adult websites, making viruses, and other bad karmic actions can all come from an innocent 12 year old.

What’s the remedy? Well, there isn’t much anyone can do. Yahoo has taken down its message boards from the fights and insulting that filled them. Other websites are making people pay to use message boards, to ensure the ‘bad’ kinds of people don’t register. Beyond this, it is out of anyone’s control.

You can still find good people on the internet- but with the mask of anonymity, anyone could literally be anyone. This is a factor in online sex crimes, police officers say. In the end, you have to be careful what you do and say on the internet- even if you are entitled to ‘free speech’.