Ethan Zuckerman on Unintended Free Speech Consequences

Because Colin has been so very good to me over the past few days (not even mentioning his help and support over the past several years), I will endeavor to strictly follow his instructions, including colorful vignettes as requested. > 1. Read the draft and offer any comments; I think it's a great starting point, and I think it's well put together inasmuch as it asks questions that are very specific to the interests of the intended funder. But it's a little overfocused, in my opinion, on the concerns corporations and government technologists are likely to be wrestling with and perhaps less concerned with the issues that average internet users, and especially internet users in repressive nations are likely to have. (That jingling sound in the background is me putting on my spurs and climbing onto my hobby horse.)

I'm interested in the unintended consequences of the digital identity systems under consideration, especially consequences that make it more difficult for people to exercise their rights of freedom of expression. I'm sensitive to David's comments about anonymity as a way of exploring multiple selves and identities. And I find the argument (Wendy's? Bill's?) that expensive anonymity is pretty unsatisfying. Specifically, as you're all aware, I'm passionate about the potential for anonymizing tools to allow reporting and opinion-sharing within and from repressive nations. I'd be very pleased to see a more explicit nod towards those issues in the proposal. > 2. Ensure your own interests in doing anonymity work fall within the > scope of this description (and if not, suggest language); At present, the projects I'm working on don't seem to be in the center of this proposal. I'm very interested in the project Roger Dingledine is proposing - "warming effects", to document the positive impacts of anonymity. I'm working on a variety of guides to help people publish and communicate online anonymously or with a persistent psuedonym. And I'm working closely with individuals in repressive nations to train them on tools and techniques to protect their privacy, which often involves finding ways to be anonymous or untraceably psuedonymous. I don't know that these need to be central to this proposal, but they influence my perspective on the subject. > 3. Provide colorful vignettes/examples that can help bring the text to > life - help funders (likely corporate) to understand why they should > care/pay. The colorful vignette I use again and again regards my friend "Sleepless in Sudan", who blogged from Darfur under a psuedonym for nine months, undiscovered by the Sudanese government, who would have likely deported her. Global Voices acted as her "anonymity consultant", and were able to keep her under wraps during her stay in the country. Had she been required by the Sudanese government to show a verifiable digital ID before accessing the Internet, it's safe to say we wouldn't have had her perspectives on what actually transpired in the refugee camps she served in.

Looking forward to watching the proposal take shape.

Best,

-E