'Anonymity is over' on Web; what you shop for will be known

Former National Economic Council member Susan Crawford believes "anonymity is over" in the blossoming world of Internet commerce.

When asked as part of the Pew Center's latest Web survey how online businesses and services might treat users' identities 10 years from now, she predicted: "We'll be known to others as a condition of doing all we want to do." "That may not be all bad news -- we'll get loyalty points, after all -- but we'll have to ensure that traditionally anonymous political speech and criticism is somehow protected," added Crawford, who assisted the White House when it drafted its team to lead the Federal Communications Commission.