Soon in this country, users on the Internet have to input their real name and address

News24xx.com - Anonymity in the virtual world may not be too anonymous in Austria, when they enact the new rules that are currently being prepared. The rule in question requires cyberspace users to register their real names complete with their addresses on sites before being able to comment on the site, quoted from Engadget, on Monday, April 22nd 2019.

Users can still use nicknames on sites in cyberspace, but they will easily be tracked if there is a legal violation, because their real names and addressed were registered in that nickname. Companies that do not want to comply with these regulations will be fined up to EUR 500 thousand, and the fine will be doubled if getting caught doing the same violation.

Not all sites will be affected by this new rule when it is implemented. Only sites with more than 100 thousand users, and have an income of EUR 500 thousand per year, or receive subsidies of more than EUR 50 thousand.

E-commerce sites also get an exception from this rule, as well as sites that do not get revenue from advertisements or from the content they produce. The rules themselves, if permitted by the European Union, will be implemented in 2020. Although it is considered important to suppress the emergence of hate speech and the spread of hoaxes, this rule is also considered to make people afraid to argue in cyberspace.

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