David Weinberger on the Social Benefits of Anonymity

I think the doc is good. My comments are much smaller scale than Wendy's. (Thank you for the larger scale, Wendy.)

My main concern is that my own particular hobbyhorse has not been sufficiently ridden. Yeehaw! I personally would like to see some mention of the social effect of anonymity in addition to the effect on "democratic discourse, consumer protection, and anti-corruption." How does anonymity affect the way in which folks play with their selves (yes, I know it's an unfortunate turn of phrase) on line? How integral has it been in how discourse and social relations form at myspace, secondlife, slashdot, usenet, etc.?

I like the discussion of the danger of concentration in practice despite decentralization in theory. Along the same lines, I worry about whether the widespread availability of ID in the infrastructure will lead merchants et al. to demand ID where previously they did not, so the practical situation will be that you can remain anonymous...if you're willing to be a cultural hermit.

The doc might also make more of the that pseudonymity may provide a practical alternative to ID in many instances. You mention it, but I actually think the anonymity <-> ID continuum isn't a continuum...it's a triangle, with pseudonymity as a vertex. Not only is pseudonymity not a point on the line between anon and ID, it's of equal weight. IMO. So, I'd like to see it built up a bit in the doc.

The "scope" section is the most problematic one, imo. Two issues:

1. Focusing on gov and business could skew the results. E.g., imagine that there are strong governmental reasons to end anonymity totally. Without considering the effect on online culture, we can't decide if those reasons should carry the day. So, I'd like to see the context broadened. And, for that reason, I'd like to see some sociology mentioned.

2. In addition, the scope section is the only one that reads as if it knows ahead of time what the results will be. I know (confidence level: 1.0) that's not what you intend. But it could be read that way.

Finally, my most important and searing comment: Generally, when using proportionally-spaced type, one uses only one space after a period.

David Weinberger Fellow, Harvard Berkman Center blog: www.hyperorg.com/blogger home: www.evident.com mail: self@evident.com