Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images
- Reservations site OpenTable will reportedly add users' first names to formerly anonymous reviews.
- The move comes a month after news of a similar change from careers site Glassdoor.
- In both cases, the companies say identification improves the authenticity of their services.
Anonymity has long been simultaneously one of the best and worst things about the internet.
Now restaurant reservations service OpenTable has reportedly decided that the benefits of anonymous posting don't outweigh the costs.
In an email to users seen by tech news site Bleeping Computer, the company said it will begin showing a first name and profile photo on all diner reviews, including on past comments that were shared anonymously.
"We've heard from you, our diners, that trust and transparency are important when looking at reviews," the email said, adding that the move is meant to strengthen the "credibility" of OpenTable reviews, according to the news outlet.
Neither OpenTable nor parent company Bookings Holdings immediately responded to Business Insider's request for comment on this story ahead of publication. Bookings' other services include Kayak and Priceline, among others.
The reported policy change comes a month after after Wired found that careers site Glassdoor had begun requiring users to provide their real names for account verification, though they still have the option of posting anonymous content to the company's services.
"We use your real name and email address for verification purposes only, to make sure everyone is who they say they are. After that, your privacy takes priority," Glassdoor says in an FAQ page.
One Reddit user was quick to dismiss concerns about OpenTable's change, saying, "This is how you get King Tuttle's, Emperor Nero's, and Kim Jongummm on the reservation list. Customers will outsmart this in no time."