I think trolling, misinformation, etc. are big problems, but forcing everyone to use their real identities online is a mistake. I see several problems with it.

I think trolling, misinformation, etc. are big problems, but forcing everyone to use their real identities online is a mistake. I see several problems with it. First, you take away people's ability to learn how to be a good participant by using a low value identity. I did this a lot when I was younger and I think it's extremely important for kids and young adults to have the option of throwing away their identity to start over. Think of it like bankruptcy for your reputation. I used a pseudonym when I first started participating on open source bug trackers and mailing lists. I think it turns out that I was doing a good job of participating even though I was a bit unsure of myself, but I still think it was a good idea to leave myself the option of abandoning that identity. When I started using my real name I was concerned about tarnishing my permanent reputation, so I was always careful with things I said. I think that's helped me become a much better participant. I never talk politics, I wait a day to post if I'm frustrated, I say please and thank you, and I don't contradict project members unless I can back it up with a provable test case (or qualify it with "in my opinion", etc. if it's subjective). Second, you're not going to eliminate misinformation if it's propaganda from a nation-state. At that point there's nothing stopping them from creating new identities as needed and those identities will be more valuable because everyone will be operating under the false assumption they're dealing with a natural person with a verified identity. You could force everyone to use their real legal name in an attempt to help people distinguish nationalities, but the appropriateness of that approach is a debate on its own and there's nothing that says a person from the US or UK can't have a Russian or Chinese name. What's next? Are we going to make people participate with their full legal name and address? Third, you'll create an opportunity for someone else to capture the social media markets by building a better system that doesn't require identity verification. People will take the path of least resistance. That's why YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. got popular. They were easy to use. I'm from Canada. Why would I subject myself to identity verification to use a (foreign) US platform if there's a competing (foreign) Chinese platform that doesn't ask for my photo ID and a face scan? Opening the door for China or Russia to build competing systems is a bad idea if you're from a western country and a welcome opportunity if you're not. I think there's value in oversight and regulation and, since I'm from Canada, I always favor services that have Canadian regulators (FINTRAC, CRTC, CIRA etc.). However, that's only for things involving money and that I consider valuable (financial accounts, phone numbers, domains). I'm not sure if I'd choose a Canadian regulated social media platform that requires my government ID over a foreign competitor that doesn't if I don't attribute any value to the account / profile.