"Anonymous posting" - a question, page 1

Just an idle question (and I apologise if it has been discussed before), but what exactly is the main benefit of anonymous replying?

I want to make it very clear that I have no problems whatsoever with anonymous posts, as long as they are topic-related and civil.
(After all, a user name, even if it is registered, is just another type of anonymity.)

But still, I wonder...
If the purpose is to lure (even) more people to the board, there are other ways of achieving that without incurring the risk of attracting spammers or people who are simply trying to vent or provoke others. (And, of course, preventing such things is much easier and practical with registered users.)

And if a person wants to contribute a valuable piece of information but is afraid, for whatever reason, that action might get her/him in trouble... I am sure that person, if s/he is moderately intelligent or computer-savvy, knows that, if needed, their location - or, to be precise, the location of the computer they are using - would be as easily traceable as any registered user "profile".

What is the main purpose, then?

EDIT

Since I cannot reply to the reply below, I'll use this feature.

I was not aware of that thread (and the other one was apparently created later than mine anyway).
But I wouldn't have used it anyway, because they are asking about a specific poster or posters, whereas I am interested in the PRINCIPLE of it all: I am interested in the benefits of anonymous posting for ATS.

And I would still like to have an answer.

[edit on 14-5-2008 by Vanitas]