DISQUS

Also, I do recognize that there are certain privacy issues such as those researching their own abuse experiences or researching investment strategies.

Actually on second thought, I take that back. Anonymity does have it's uses if people are convinced that they are doing what's right and the powers that be are disallowing them from doing so. For example, sneaking Bibles into a foreign country or a witness protection program. However, I would be inclined to contend that most uses of anonymity probably don't fall under that category. Most of the time people are just viewing information that others might find aberrant, offensive, or illegal. Occasionally things take a turn for the worst such as has happened in this case.

Ultimately, I disagree with the premise that anonymity protects our freedom. Generally being anonymous only allows a person to evade the consequences of their actions. Most people can do anything in "real" life that they would choose to do online but they don't because they don't because there would be repercussions they wouldn't want to face. Furthermore, part of the general problem with this issue is that the culture doesn't see lying as a big deal, but it was a big enough deal to God to include it in the ten commandments.