Posted by
Gary Schiltz-4 on
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/decentralized-encrypted-storage-tp7585948p7585949.html
I’m very torn when I read about technologies whose goal is to make us anonymous. Something just seems a little sleazy about technologies such as Bittorrent, Bitcoin, illegal warez sites, viruses, trojans, and the referenced decentralized storage system. Whenever I’ve visited such sites, I sort of feel like I need to disinfect the computer (with chemical disinfectant, not antivirus software). I always feel that somehow I’ve been a naughty boy afterwards.
I suppose it hearkens back to what we westerners have always been taught about the relationship between freedom and responsibility. I relate anonymity to freedom, in the sense that I can say whatever outlandish thing I want when I’m anonymous, with no direct repercussions except for conscience or karma. On the other hand, I relate non-anonymity with responsibility, since if my real identity is known, I will likely be held accountable for things I say. My gut feeling is that from a psychological perspective, desire for anonymity (and even freedom) is more associated with adolescence ("I want it my way", or “I know a secret”), and responsibility is more associated with adulthood (when we have hopefully learned that our actions have consequences). I also suspect there is a male / female component, as I view men as more inflexible about abstract things like freedom than are women (I doubt Patricia Henry would have said anything like “Give me liberty or give me death"). That overabundance of testosterone seems to drive men toward wanting freedom (e.g. from commitment) - fortunately we aren’t completely wired that way.
I realize that there are many situations where anonymity is important, such as subverting tyrannical political systems. But in the long run, I suppose I come down more strongly on the non-anonymity side. I think that to truly grow as a species, we need to be take more responsibility for our actions, not less.
Looking forward to a fruitful discussion :-)
Gary Schiltz
> On Jan 11, 2015, at 1:31 PM, Marcus G. Daniels <
[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> A decentralized, secure alternative to Dropbox..
>
>
http://storj.io============================================================
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