>Maybe, just maybe, everyone in the entire world shouldn't know
>my level and class automatically

Things used to work that way here. I'll tell you how it worked out: It REALLY favored veteran players, and it makes being evil an enormous advantage.

If I'm a newbieish paladin, knowing who's out there gives me a better idea of who my enemies are and who I might or might not be able to beat. If I'm a veteran anti-paladin, I don't need to know who or what you are -- there (depending on role) might not be anyone I'm not willing to murder for power, and because I'm a good player there might not be anyone I can't successfully murder for power.