This is a difficult topic. Everyone has a right to privacy, that has to be a given. But you might think that using a moniker here that you use nowhere else would be suitably private. However, back when I was using (a) computer(s) that was/were supplied by someone else there were rules about how one was allowed to identify oneself, and if I were still in that situation now then I would most likely switch on the anonymous flag too.

Now, while you might think that that reinforces the comment about "other people paying", it does NOT mean other people's effort. Taking an active part in WCG is not without time cost. Sure, it doesn't necessarily need much, but at the very least it means installing and setting up BOINC on machine that you have access to.

So I say, let these people have their fun. If they can identify themselves within the stats, why not?

And I agree that anyone should be able to download their own data without hindrance, provided that they have to identify themselves to do so. Why should setting the anonymous flag affect that? I don't see the logic!

[Edit: fixed a typo.]

I’d really like to see how you react to something serious, maybe we should ask WCG to change let your computer daydream science to boost your ego with stats! on the frontpage?