In what is sure to set off irony meters, a UK magistrate has prohibited an alleged member of Anonymous from using his real name, Peter, on the internet. Anna Leach reports:
A man called Peter has been banned from using the name “Peter” on the internet as a bail condition after being charged today with unauthorised use of a computer.
Peter David Gibson, 22, from Hartlepool, was among three men and one unnamed 17-year-old charged at the City of Westminster Magistrates Court this morning for offences in connection with the LulzSec and Anonymous hacks.
Read more on The Register.
Can a judge really prohibit you from using your own real name? And how does allowing Peter to call himself “AnonOne” but not “Peter” prevent re-offending, which was seemingly the (il)logic behind the ban?
If I were Peter, I’d be tempted to use “RealNameBannedbyMagistrate.” No one would ever figure out who that is, right?