User:MisterHand/Gripes About Wikipedia/Why are anonymous edits allowed?

Why are anonymous edits allowed?

Following the John Seigenthaler Sr. Wikipedia biography controversy, Wikipedia reacted by blocking anonymous users from creating new articles. The irony of this was that the vandal in question didn't create the article, he merely edited an existing article.

Indeed, I would venture that at least 90% of vandalism is done by an anonymous editor. As I'm going over my watchlist, or the "recent changes" page, chances are pretty good that if I see an edit by an anonymous editor, it's vandalism.

Registration is quick and easy, there's no reason why somebody acting in good faith wouldn't want to do it. If Wikipedia is serious about combating vandalism, blocking anonymous edits would be a quick and easy way to get rid of a big part of the problem.

This gripe was posted for discussion at Wikipedia talk:Vandalism on January 9, 2006.