To be sure, there are times when anonymity is the ideal solution, but other where it is simply not practical. If I had another hour or so, I would launch into a discussion of the differing views of privacy and one's relationship to one's own personal information. However, since its lunch, I'll restrain myself. An Attempt at Conciliation , which reviews the traditional approaches to the topic and examines the tension between legislation and self-regulation in addressing the issue. I wanted to raise this issue though to make a point.
Privacy is a two-way street.
People have certain expectations that organizations will act according to their stated policies and will respect their clients' wishes with respect to the handling of their personal information. Equally, individuals have a right to control the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information, subject to clear and limited exceptions. I have now expanded on this idea and created a parallel theme for the privacy world. All organizations, public or private, have a duty of care to protect the personal information they have in their custody or control - they are entrusted with this information by the public, who is often obligated to provide it. The custodian in turn, is obligated to safeguard that information.