Open Access[Name withheld]: Anonymity and its implications
Author(s) -
Weicher Maureen
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
proceedings of the american society for information science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1550-8390
pISSN - 0044-7870
DOI - 10.1002/meet.1450430189
Subject(s) - anonymity , internet privacy , credibility , cyberspace , the internet , accountability , computer security , psychology , social psychology , computer science , political science , law , world wide web
Anonymity allows the individual to have a voice without having a name. Since the word “anonymous” entered the English language with the advent of the printing press, the implications of being anonymous – and its lexical offspring “anonymity” – have shifted with time, place, and circumstance. What are the perceived effects of being anonymous/anonymity on the individual and on society? In this paper, I will explore some of the shifting meanings and implications of this concept, first as it relates to authorship, then (as it came to be viewed) as a signature condition of modern life. The perceived effect of anonymity on the social good includes promoting freedom of expression, enabling the free flow of information, enhancing therapeutic disinhibition, and fostering an atmosphere where ideas are judged on merit. Negative consequences include lack of accountability and credibility, nondisclosure, and deindividuation. The requirements for maintaining anonymity and pseudonymity are discussed and anonymity on the Internet. Finally, I will explore how anonymity/pseudonymity has come to be seen as a key way to protect privacy in an era of ubiquitous surveillance technologies and to promote free expression in cyberspace.