Anonymity is a fundamental wiki-norm that enables free speech (by reducing the potential for real-world consequences) and discourages ad hominem attacks (by making it harder to link an on-wiki identity to a user's off-wiki affiliations, interests, etc., and use that information to accuse them of conflicts of interests with regard to their on-wiki contributions). It can also enable users to get a fresh start; which is sometimes good and sometimes bad, depending on whether they use their new identity for good or bad purposes.
Wikis such as Citizendium that insisted on users' verifiability using their real names typically have not faired well. However, even the mighty Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) demands that certain specific users provide proof of identity; these include: check user, oversight, steward, ombudsman, and Wikimedia Board of Trustees.
- See also