Cyberspace Anonymity

As an innate human component, anonymity had always been present as a societal concept, though the first modern exhibition of the idea can be traced to Baudelaire's flaneur, the urban stroller who bathes in the luxury of having his identity enveloped in the crowd of a city. Today, the flaneur of the streets sill exists, though anonymity now subsists most prominently in the bustles of a cyber metropolis. It can be seen that as man evolves, so does the notion of anonymity, from its philosophical definition to its practical application. Started to be "...a ration best-of-a bad situation response to a less than perfect world" (Dyson 286), anonymity is portrayed be Ester Dyson's Release 2.1 as an alternative social mechanism endorsed by the reality of human flaw. Dyson shows that while theoretically beneficial and necessary, anonymity is, in reality, quite problematic and secondary to conventional honesty. Despite this, Dyson believes that it is pivotal that the choice and right to anonymity be preserved. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Cyberethics, on the other hand, takes more of a problem-solution approach, focusing on addressing the problems of anonymous communication, though the association unanimously agreed that Internet anonymity is indeed an imperative feature, with its positive exceeding its negative aspects. It is absolutely pivotal that anonymity, despite its risks, not be eradicated nor taken to the extreme, but be extensively studied and taught, for the delicate balance for future growth, law, and morality is at stake.

In theory, anonymity had many positive and beneficial aspects and has become more especially useful to society and technology. Both Dyson and the AAAS agree that it is a device that allows one to escape the confines of identity, to relieve oneself; one is released from one's beliefs, values, status, and other features of identity. There is an ability to step back and out of the spotlight of judgement, to explore and have the freedom to be someone else of, ironically, actually be oneself and not be hindered by fear, allowing for full free expressions. The appeal of not having to bear the burden of accountability is awesome, allowing people to things they would never consider otherwise. There is no risk of personal attack of criticism, one is able to "...hide form social disapproval with a minimum of consequences" (286), and thus people can be more open towards others and themselves, allowing for better, more clear determination of truth and lies. This enables human communication to be taken to another level, one of natural veracity that is admirable. In turn, this emphasizes the facilities nature of technology is highlighting its role in assisting and promoting interactive human communication. As the AAAS points out, "...anonymous communication encourages Internet communications, and the Internet in turn may encourage anonymous communication," anonymity helps technology to aid society (97).

It is common thought that humans are corrupt by nature and entail surveillance to induce proper conduct, a theory that is summarized by Foucault's interpretation of Bentham's Panpticon, in which he suggests that humans are more likely to be well behaved and conscientious when they are being pressured by the constant eyes of visibility. Contrarily, the application of anonymity in cyber communication refutes this notion by demonstrating a natural human need and want for good and honesty. Dyson provides the examples of the Internet Oracle, whose " universal air " made it transcendent, for participants felt the need to put in their full effort in order to make...and keep...what they felt was the " Absolute truth, the collected wisdom of the universe..." (290). The participants believed that it was almost an honorable duty to keep the uprightness of the Oracle. Thus, anonymity may induce the natural human drive for good and sense of omnipotence and vulnerability. Anonymity provides idealist to practice autonomy and free speech in their own tight, without the interference of the law, lending to a sort of pure human environment of honesty and integrity that is wholesome and true to nature.

Similarly, the AAAS includes other tangible advantages to anonymity such as investigative journalism and whistle-blowing, both of which provide a safe pathway for vital issues, complaints, and information of criminal activity. Anonymity promotes free speech as well as provided and protects it, especially in its role of helping the oppressed to have a voice while avoiding persecution. Moreover, direct impact is possible in that anonymity allows shame and setting for self-help on issues that may help difficult for people to discuss in a real life forum. Consequently, anonymity becomes a prime spring of human resources and source of personal privacy protection.

In theory, anonymity can easily be seen in a tainted light for it has many open regions for intrusion and opportunities for abuse, both my and of humans. In being such a vehicle freedom, anonymity leaves plenty of room for harmful penetration. Many of the beneficial theories of anonymity are realistic to a certain extent, until they begin to discount human abuses.

Dyson points out that anonymity takes away accountability and the incentive to tell the truth and dishonest people will take advantage of this in order to manipulate and cause destruction. Scientifically, it has been demonstrated that people work best and to the fullest when truthful and open, and this, according to Release 2.1, may not be sustained by anonymity. The Whole Earth ' Lectronic Link ( WELL), began as an incredibly successful community where many members knew each other offline and formed a tight network of cyber friendships, much like those in real life. However, when a subgroup was begun with anonymity, trust was destroyed by lies, attacks and people acting as others, the "trusted group turned into and unaccountable demon and never recanted," (299) thus drawing attention to the fact that anonymity may bring out the worst in people and leads users to become deceitful and malevolent, drawing on the natural human faults.

The AAAS agrees that anonymity does in fact allow social damage and crime to occur. By allowing users to be invisible, anonymity allows their statements and actions to become untraceable and, thereby, losing all sense of accountability. Just as it was easy for users to retain a sense of pride in upholding the forces of good, it is overwhelmingly tempting for humans o commit crimes that they could not in real life, and to act out on their whims without ramifications. Free speech does not always produce a positive effect and gives leeway for users to exploit, thereby perpetuating the negative of the Net.

However, the practice of anonymity is not quite as simple as it is complex. Dyson compares anonymity to alcohol, useful in moderation but can easily be taken to a handful extreme. Applied to practical reality, anonymity begins to question issues of rights, legality, and morals, for the actual function of anonymity, in fact, is very much an issue of law and accountability. Society is faced with questions of what real life truly are, how important anonymity truly is, and the issue of enforcing parameters. Parallel to her belief that visibility and accountability are imperative in the long run, Dyson states the "... possibility of anonymity is one of the scariest features of the Net..." (303). Abuses of anonymity can range from petty to detestable crimes on negative activities including pornography, hate speech, and perpetuate crimes such as sexual and fraud into real life, causing actually physical and concrete harm.

The AAAS further explores the tangible negatives of anonymity by confronting its efforts on identity, pointing out that it decenters people by allowing for an escape route rather than pressuring man to discover himself, thereby leading to many dangerous ramifications in real life. Furthermore, anonymity can lead to an obstruction of personal space by allowing unwanted communication that can be both annoying and dangerous. Junk mail, or Spam, and hate mail infuriatingly abuses user information, impedes on their rights, and slow the server, keeping them from the full Internet experience. While Spam is rather harmless, such events as Richard Mochado's discriminating email directed cyber and real world, one of hate and prejudice. The deception that anonymity enables lends to libel and financial fraud, tainting commercial transactions as well as causing economics crisis such as the business downfall of Stratton Okakmont. Able to bypass self-identification, users can use anonymity to impersonate others in order to deceive and commit real time crimes such as drug deals, illegal arms transactions, and criminal recruitment.

Both Dyson and the AAAS agree that the benefits of anonymity need to be sustained, regardless of the high risks. The importance of anonymity outweighs its problems, for it is a source of privacy, identity, and the AAAS more seriously bases its argument from and on the First Amendment. Dyson discusses her belief that "pseudonymity is like anonymity" and that there is a need for more "web of trust" (309) in which non-centralized communities can prove to be reliable sources by requiring such things as some kind of identification or certification. Theoretically, Dyson provides many thoughts on the future of anonymity but they rely very many so on intangible ideals such as honesty and trust. It is the AAAS that sets out the concrete pans, including a possible policy that allows users to have access to strong encryption policies and international convention usage and to protect anonymity. While these are very helpful suggestions and provoke thinking, they recognized that. Above all, the AAAS hopes to further public knowledge about anonymity and the Net, following the notion that the pivotal solution to cyber abuses lies in education, an idea that Dyson also promotes.

Tough my personal experiences, I feel that growing cyber world is never going to tend and is definitely not a mere trend. Anonymity is becoming increasingly more of an issue as society becomes more cyber and technology dependent. Solution wise, I agree with the AAAS and Dyson in that the public needs to be informed and educated on the workings of the Internet and the concept of anonymity. It needs to be known that cyberspace is quickly becoming a parallel world that will only grow and expand in its possibilities, and that anonymity plays a key role. I also believe that, anonymity, being absolutely necessary and vital, must not be restricted nor regulated, for this could begin a landslide towards a law-infested cyberspace. Dyson, promotes, with good reason, the right to choose, for the reap the fruits of the cyber world, one must be both to its pro and cons. However, I also think that, while it is one's own choice whether of not to participate in anonymity, it is one's absolute responsibility to be aware whether or not to participate on anonymity, it is one's absolute responsibility of one's action and their consequences. More public attention needs to be put on the psychological and morals harms of anonymity, as highlighted by the AAAS. Further yet, there must be a focus on why there is such a growing need for cyberspace, what real life is lacking, and how much such a dire desire to escape and create identity in cyberspace being pressured by society. Anonymity is a justified and fine right until it harms others and oneself. The use of anonymity to destroy relationships, deceive, and commit innumerable crimes is immoral and will never truly be eradicated, though it can be batter dealt with once the morality and legality of the issues are properly addressed.

It is seen that anonymity is an issue in and of itself. As society develops and becomes increasingly more visible, the importance of retaining identity in and through anonymity grows. Both Dyson and AAAS concur that the general notion of anonymity is "... neither intrinsically bad nor intrinsically good." (123). Anonymity regardless of its advantages and disadvantages, I core to the protection and development of identity on multiple levels of the individual, nation, and the world. While anonymity poses 4innumerable risks, its benefits overshadow its harms, and with extensive research and education, it can and will become a leading force in structuring technology to the greatest advantage of man.