Internet anonymity allows people to experiment and construct with new social identities  People can use the internet to experiment with and construct new identities. Think for example of people who don’t have a heteronormative lifestyle (where heterosexuality is considered the norm/default lifestyle): in their own communities they could be condemned, despised and even prosecuted, but because of internet anonymity, they can safely join an online community without fear of social repercussions. [1]  Or think of people who through certain life-experiences needed to invent a new identity, for example someone who was addicted to drugs but now has come clean and is ready to build a new life – with an ‘authentic’ profile, this person will continuously be confronted with his or her previous identity. [2]  One solution would then be to require social networking sites like Facebook to drop the ‘real-name requirement’, which is something that the regional German data protection agency ULD has been arguing for in court. [3]  [1] TechPresident, ‘In the Middle East, Marginalized LGBT Youth Find Supportive Communities Online’, September 6, 2012. URL:   [2] The Guardian, ‘Online identity: is authenticity or anonymity more important?’, URL:   [3] The Verge, ‘Facebook wins legal battle to force Europeans to use real names online’, February 15, 2013. URL: