Anonymity Articles

Addressing Anonymous Messages in Cyberspace, Gia B. Lee, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication: Volume 2, Number 1: Part 1 of a Special Issue June, 1996
This article discusses some of the arguments for and against anonymity in Cyberspace. Some claim that knowing a statement’s author can help the reader evaluate the truth of it (e.g. did a drug manufacturer post the statement that drugs are the best way to cure a certain health condition or did a researcher?). Others argue that biases about a person’s race, gender, age, status, etc., cause readers unfairly to treat statements differently. Lee's solution is to require anonymous remailers to indicate that they are anonymous. This would allow people to filter out anonymous messages, if they so desired. Newsgroups could decide their own policies about anonymity.

Should there be a law requiring that anonymous messages be marked as anonymous?

Yes
No
    

Would you support a law requiring people to preface pseudonyms used on the Internet with an indicator, such as "pseudo"? (See the Zeran summary for a pseudonym gone awry.)

Yes
No
    

Defamation and the Internet (Scroll down to "The Anonymity Question.")
Along with a thorough discussion of defamation and libel issues, this site suggests that anonymity makes defamation less of a problem because people realize that they are reading anonymous material and do not take it as seriously.

Do you think people generally take account of the fact that the Internet postings they read may be anonymous or pseudonymous?

Yes
No
    

Approximately how often do you question or discount the value of something you read on the Internet because it may be from a questionable source?

Never
Rarely (<20%)
Sometimes (20-50%)
Usually (51-80%)
Almost Always (>80%)
    

Identity, Privacy, and Anonymity on the Internet by L. Detweiler, 1993
This article provides a useful overview of several of the issues relevant to a discussion of anonymity and the internet. It deals with aspects of your identity on the net, the privacy afforded that identity, and the limits on anonymity. The article focuses particularly on the UNIX operating system.

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