Navigating Anonymity: I Can Be Whoever I Want on the Internet, Right?
Yes, you can be whoever you want on the internet! Anonymity is difficult to achieve in the physical space, but now with the rise of information technologies(IT) we all can remain anonymous in cyber space too. By nature, individuals are recognizable in public space by their characteristics. Even a stranger can be identifiable in the physical space despite others not knowing their name. Others may take note of their appearance and identify them that way (e.g. the man with brown hair). As opposed to face to face interactions, the computer screen provides a barrier of protection. The ability to use pseudonyms and fictitious profile photos makes it easy to create a desired identity by choosing what information to disclose about yourself, if any at all. Now those physical features that were visible in the physical space become invisible in cyber space. Freedom of expression for all! Ignore those stereotypes defining who you are suppose to be and just be your authentic self. Anonymity protects people’s voices and is a much needed online feature.
Anonymity is commonly associated with namelessness, detachment, and lack of recognition. Scholar Kathleen Wallace defined anonymity as a state of being unidentifiable by others due to a lack of coordination between known and unknown trait(s) that an individual possesses. Each trait is a part of a collection of unique interconnected traits that make up one’s identity. The disunion of these identifying attributes allow an individual to remain unknown. The protection anonymity has is favorable to online users because it reduces social risk and facilitates free expression such as discussing unpopular opinions and socially stigmatized topics online. Imagine how difficult it would be to engage in discussion about taboo topics without anonymity. Other users would always be able to put a name and face with each online interaction, making it a possibility for discourse to continue offline. Discourse is not guaranteed to be cordial when individuals have polarized views.
Examples are victim-survivors disclosing sexual assault encounters on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and online communities on Reddit. A common motivation for victims seeking online community is to avoid the uncomfortable feelings induced by sharing sexual assault experiences in their “real lives”. There is a fear of victim blaming, backlash, and consequences. An anonymous member of the /r/rapecounseling community on Reddit said,
“I’m really scared to post this but I really need help. I am so afraid to ask anyone in real life, been so afraid to even voice this. I’ve been feeling very alone and isolated because of it”.
Other victims voiced concerns about victim blaming from friends, family, or the broader community and found comfort in the anonymity of Reddit. Some victims report complications in confiding in loved ones, as well as receiving unexpected responses. Research indicates that a victim survivors’ first experiences of disclosing sexual violence will affect their efforts to continue to seek professional help and/or report to an authority. With that being said, the ability to be anonymous in these situations is crucial.
A common feature on these platforms is the ability of others to comment and interact with posted content. The context of a sexual abuse post may elicit different types of responses. For example, in 2017 the #MeToo movement lead to an increase in sexual assault victims coming forward with their stories on online platforms, such as Twitter. The hashtag was intended to spread awareness and support on a socially stigmatized topic. In October of 2017 Terry Crews, an actor and former professional football player, tweeted about his experience as a sexual assault victim in Hollywood. Crews received responses back blaming him for not defending himself. Victim blaming comments can affect the mental health of the victim and invalidate their experiences. Anonymity works both ways and will not prevent insensitive comments. However by the victim remaining anonymous the negative discourse is unlikely to continue offline if they cannot be identified.
Although the ethics of anonymity is widely debated I argue that it is necessary and a right online users should have. Anonymity goes hand in hand with privacy. Anonymity upholds inalienable rights already established in many democratic countries, such as privacy and free expression. Anonymity is thought to be a facilitator in democratic society, allowing voters, political dissidents, and corporate whistle blowers to operate without fear of negative consequences. In addition, pseudonyms and identity protection shield people like journalists and activists from violence outside of the virtual environment.
One of the largest whistleblowing events in recent years was the release of the Panama Papers in April 2016. An anonymous whistle-blower from the database of Panamanian law firm and corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca leaked 11 million electronic documents that contained financial and attorney-client information. Journalists from all over the world made a network to collaboratively use data mining tools and bring to light vital financial fraud information from the many bytes of released data. Anonymous whistle blowing continues to expose large forces while protecting vulnerable entities.
Anonymity can lead to positive outcomes such as help-seeking, free expression, and protection. However, a user’s sense of protection can cultivate an environment of negativity, harassment, and ethical implications. A heavily discussed ethical concern related to anonymity is cyberbullying and hate comments. Anonymity can allow for depersonalization, a separation from self in regards to body, mind, and thought. For this reason individuals may feel inclined to behave in ways unlike their real life behavior. The lack of accountability also instills bravery into individuals to communicate without repercussions that they may experience with face to face contact. Comments may contain some form of racism, sexism, and/or reinforce harmful stereotypes about groups of people.
Protection empowers individuals to behave freely across information technologies. Users are able to use harsh or rude language and engage in illegal activity without fear of being identified by other users. Adrienne Massanari’s 2015 article discusses some major events that happened on the website Reddit that feed toxic technoculture. For example, “The Fappening” incident on Reddit made clear the dangers of anonymity. In 2014 a series of anti-feminist activism unfolded on Reddit’s website that pertained to illegally acquired nudes of celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence. The women were victimized and the nudes were then circulated and commented on anonymously through Reddit and 4chan. The comments were disturbing and alarming enabled by the inability to trace comments to an identity. The posts became extremely popular at the time of the leaks and many users “upvoted” the content which caused Reddit’s algorithm to feature links to the posts and website traffic increased significantly.
Anonymity can be used to protect identity in ways that enable mischievous behavior. For this reason anonymity becomes a difficult topic to defend as it can lead to criminal activity such as child pornography, illegal gambling, as well as human and drug trafficking. Offenders are able to mask their identity and obscure profiles to represent whatever they desire. The internet also enables multiplicity, which is the ability to create multiple different identities online. With the click of a button users can create, delete, and duplicate accounts with both factual and inaccurate information. A large societal concern is the cyber-grooming of children. While a child is safely at home, they are vulnerable to child-abusers reaching out to them online. This type of behavior involves unmonitored exchange of inappropriate and sexually explicit content with children via photos, videos, webcams, and chats. For example, on Facebook, an adult sexual-predator connected with an 11 year old online and exposed his genitals to the child via Facebook webcam. Vulnerable populations like children continue to be targets for online sexual-abuse.
Aside from deceptive profiles providing a degree of anonymity, there are also special softwares like The Onion Router (Tor) that offer a similar effect eliminating traceability. Have you heard of the Dark Web? This is the hub for rampant illegal activity like illegal markets, trolls and online child abuse rings. Now, you may be wondering how do we find the Dark Web, where is it? The Dark Net can only be accessed from a special browser that is a part of a large network system. An example of a Dark Web activity is the website Silk Road that birthed in 2011. Silk Road functions like a typical e-commerce website except for one vast difference. Unlike Amazon selling goods and services, Silk Road connects buyers and sellers for the purchase of drugs, assassinators, and more.
Although anonymity seems like an obvious enabler of criminal activity, it is simply a tool. Like any tool, the affect the tool has is up to the user. A hammer is a tool that can be used to beat a nail into the wall, but it can also be used as a weapon to inflict pain on someone or something. The same logic applies to anonymity and the Tor systems. There are positive, negative, and neutral outcomes.
On a more positive note, Tor can be used for protecting freedom of expression in repressive regimes. This technology can be used to surf the Web, access censored content and otherwise exercise genuine right to free expression. In non-democratic countries, the presence of anonymity is the only way that people can voice opposing points of view without fear of consequences. The hope of securing political freedom is kept alive by anonymity.
It can be hard to defend anonymity due to the possibility for mischevious and illegal behavior. However, anonymity only has the upmost power when it comes with impunity. The real problem lies in the lack of accountability for online behavior. The virtual world is not much different than the physical real world. If unlawful behavior was not punished or acknowledged would more people break the law? Cyber space is seen as grounds for invisible crime and hate. If we put in place measures to enforce safe and respectful online community guidelines would there be less negative online interactions? Now the question is who’s responsibility is it to manage online interactions.
I have concluded there are a few places the blame can fall. The platforms supporting features like anonymity have the most control over how anonymity is presented on their application. Anonymity can have different meanings on online platforms. Anonymity can show up as fictional names, fake profile pictures, fabricated biographical information, etc. However, the design of the application determines how effective an anonymous user can interact on the platform. For example, Instagram users are able to easily make fake accounts. Even so, users cannot comment on other Instagram accounts that they do not have access to. Since users can make their account public or private even a fake account would need an approved follow request to interact with private accounts. In addition, Instagram users are able to block accounts that they do not want interaction with. Instagram even went as far as to have the option to block the account and all future accounts the user may create as a safeguard. All these features reduce chances of stalking and harassment. Platforms like Instagram are managing negative interactions by giving users some access control. With that being said, the trolls and perpetrators are not necessarily being punished for their actions, rather put in time out.
Is there real punishment for online behavior and is it possible to manage on a large scale? It is likely some offenses go under the radar because of the enormity of the web. When do legal measures come into play? Maybe the problem really lies in the accountability measures, not the use of anonymity.
References:
Wallace, Kathleen A. (2018). Online Anonymity. In Himma and Tavani, pp. 165–190.
Massanari, Adrienne. (2015). #Gamergate and The Fappening: How Reddit’s Algorithm, Governance, and Culture Support Toxic Technocultures. New Media & Society 19 (3): 229–46.
Robert Bodle. 2013. The ethics of online anonymity or Zuckerberg vs. “Moot”. SIGCAS Comput. Soc. 43, 1 (May 2013), 22–35, https://doi.org/10.1145/2505414.2505417
O’Neill T (2018) ‘Today I speak’: Exploring how victim-survivors use reddit. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy 7(1):44–59. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v7i1.402.
Mukhopadhyay, Mayukh and Ghosh, Kaushik, Panama Papers: How Data Science Fought Corruption (July 7, 2020). Five Shades of Emerging Business Cases, Eliva Press (Nov 2021), ISBN: 978–1–63648–395–5, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3644821 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3644821
Nikolovska, M. (2020). The Internet as a creator of a criminal mind and child vulnerabilities in the cyber grooming of children. JYU dissertations.
Robert Bodle. 2013. The ethics of online anonymity or Zuckerberg vs. “Moot”. SIGCAS Comput. Soc. 43, 1 (May 2013), 22–35, https://doi.org/10.1145/2505414.2505417
Tommy J. Curry (2019) Expendables for Whom: Terry Crews and the Erasure of Black Male Victims of Sexual Assault and Rape, Women’s Studies in Communication, 42:3, 287–307, https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2019.1641874
Jardine, Eric, The Dark Web Dilemma: Tor, Anonymity and Online Policing (September 30, 2015). Global Commission on Internet Governance Paper Series, №21, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2667711 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2667711
Photos:
