While you cite a couple of potentially valid reasons for wanting to "automatically maintain the identities of the Monks," I know of at least a few monks that do not want their "real life" identity connected with their Monk tag. Each case you cite suggests some form of active participation on the part of the Monk you wish to confirm. That's fine and there are several mechanisms available for doing that.
However, if I'm reading your subtext properly, you want to ID Monks without their knowledge and that raises several concerns.
There is a great deal of information already available about our real lives on the Internet. Given that google logs the ChatterBox, there's a risk (however small) that the results of your automated process would eventually appear on standard search engines. As an example, note the first hit on my 'nym. While my actor's instincts are gratified by the top billing, my wife would be less than pleased if there were a connection from that to my RN. (She's been stalked and is very sensitive to public information of her name, address, or other vitals being readily available.)
Similarly, a certain monk maintains an gender-opposite online identity for reasons that have not been made public. There's a risk (however small) that an automated process would compromise this without that individual's knowledge.
I can think of (or know) several other reasons why certain monks have not publicized their real lives in various online communities.
You might believe that this information is useful in the right hands. That's true and it's also why I argue against this so strenuously. Automated processes do not question the validity of a request for information. Only people can determine whether those hands are the right ones or not.
If, for whatever reason, a monk has declined to provide details of their RL, then we should respect that choice.
If you absolutely must have some form of automated identification, I would only support it if a) there was a way to opt-out and b) that was the default. It's not that I don't trust you, per se, but I don't trust every member of our community. Some have demonstrated that they have little professional (or personal) courtesy and I would be extremely leery of any process that did not allow me to prevent those people from accessing more details of my life than I wish to publicize on my home node.
Should I wish, at some point, to provide services to PM, then I will happily submit to whatever verification that vroom deems appropriate. I might even be willing to provide that to people he trusts. However, I will not support any process that unfettered access to my RN, my personal email address, or other details I've chosen to keep private.
Sorry...
--f
In reply to Please don't compromise my privacy
by footpad
in thread On Chatterbox Echoes, and the Identification of Monks in the Wild
by Petruchio
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