Real name policies in free software projects, like Linux's, are often justified by copyright provenance and legal accountability via the Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO). However, these policies can harm marginalized contributors, including those avoiding harassment, people with non-Western names, and transgender individuals who may be deadnamed. The author proposes a middle ground: use the DCO for provenance while allowing contributors to use any consistent identity they're comfortable with, and commit to supporting identity changes across project history.
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