Anonymity, or the ability to communicate without disclos-
ing a verifiable identity, is a consequence of the way most
Internet-based e-mail, chat, or news services were designed
This does not mean that mes-
sages do not have names attached. Rather, the names can
be arbitrarily chosen or pseudonymous, whether reflecting
development of an online persona or the desire to avoid
having to take responsibility for unwanted communications
(see spam).
Advantages
If a person uses a fixed Internet address,it may
be possible to eventually discover the person’s location and
even identity. However, messages can be sent through anon-
ymous remailing services where the originating address is
removed. Web browsing can also be done “at arm’s length”
through a proxy server. Such means of anonymity can argu-
ably serve important values, such as allowing persons living
under repressive governments (or who belong to minority
groups) to express themselves more freely precisely because
they cannot be identified. However, such techniques require
some sophistication on the part of the user. With ordinary
users using their service provider accounts directly, gov-
ernments (notably China) have simply demanded that the
user’s identity be turned over when a crime is alleged.
Pseudonymity (the ability to choose names separate
from one’s primary identity) in such venues as chat rooms
or online games can also allow people to experiment with
different identities or roles, perhaps getting a taste of how
members of a different gender or ethnic group are perceived
(see identity in the online world).
Anonymity can also help protect privacy, especially in
commercial transactions. For example, purchasing some-
thing with cash normally requires no disclosure of the pur-
chaser’s identity, address, or other personal information.
Various systems can use secure encryption to create a cash
equivalent in the online world that assures the merchant
of valid payment without disclosing unnecessary informa-
tion about the purchaser (see digital cash). There are also
facilities that allow for essentially anonymous Web brows-
ing, preventing the aggregation or tracking of information
Problems
The principal problem with anonymity is that it can allow
the user to engage in socially undesirable or even criminal
activity with less fear of being held accountable. The com-
bination of anonymity (or the use of a pseudonym) and the
lack of physical presence seems to embolden some people
to engage in insult or “flaming,” where they might be inhib-
ited in an ordinary social setting. A few services (notably
The WELL) insist that the real identity of all participants
be available even if postings use a pseudonym.
Spam or deceptive e-mail (see phishing and spoof-
ing) takes advantage both of anonymity (making it hard
for authorities to trace) and pseudonymity (the ability
to disguise the site by mimicking a legitimate business).
Anonymity makes downloading or sharing files easier
(see file-sharing and P2P networks), but also makes
it harder for owners of videos, music, or other content to
pursue copyright violations. Because of the prevalence of
fraud and other criminal activity on the Internet, there
have been calls to restrict the ability of online users to
remain anonymous, and some nations such as South Korea
have enacted legislation to that effect. However, civil lib-
ertarians and privacy advocates believe that the impact on
freedom and privacy outweighs any benefits for security
and law enforcement.
The database of Web-site registrants (called Whois)
provides contact information intended to ensure that
someone will be responsible for a given site and be will-
ing to cooperate to fix technical or administrative prob-
lems. At present, Whois information is publicly available.
However, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN) is considering making the contact
information available only to persons who can show a
legitimate need.
See also:
what-is-analog-and-digital
Apple-corporation
application-program-interface-api
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