2.2.5 What would be the implications of changes in the nature of the Net?

If we just take the loss of anonymity as an example, the implications could be far reaching. And there would be gains and losses. On the one hand, authentication might reduce online fraud and assist in the detection and prosecution of criminals; on the other hand it could enable repressive regimes to censor dissidents, limit access to the Net for certain classes of person (e.g. young people, those who do not have credit cards) and significantly encroach on people's personal privacy (e.g. by enabling publishers – and others – to detect exactly what each internet user is reading online). It might also increase the incidence of the crime known as ‘identity theft’.