I agree there needs to be a way to link back to people for security reasons. Who gets to see that link back is the issue I think needs to be resolved. I believe that access to private data needs to be strictly guarded and regulated.

Are there different degrees of anonymity? Especially hearing Larry Roberts on IE Radio the other day, I think it's very important for everyone to be identifiable. I can understand maybe using a pseudonym on a Website if that's important to you, but ultimately I think it has to be able to link back to your true identity for security reasons. Do you disagree? You're talking about it as a tool for free speech but the ability to know who is behind an online identity can be absolutely critical. Seems like the founders of the Internet agree that they should've worked harder on authentication way back when.

"Anonymity is liberty." I like that -- anonymity on the Web and in life gives people the freedom to act without fear of government reprisal for having a viewpoint. That was a fundamental principle informing the founders of the USA, even if it wasn't directly spelled out.

The Web, more than any other medium, threatens to make anoymity an anachronism if we don't pay some attention and support efforts to protect our right to this kind of freedom.

The problem, of course, is that governments also have to act for public safety, and that involves a certain amount of online surveillance. We need to be watchful about tracking where agenices overstep that necessary vigilance.

This video made me smile! Thank you. :-)

I completely agree with all of your points, and thanks for the EFF resource. It has been years since the Electronic Freedom Foundation has been thought of, and it is great to see that they are still fighting for liberty on the Internet. I agree that is probably impossible to achieve complete internet anonymity but using encryption, services like I2P or Tor, the new Private Browsing feature in Firefox 3.5.X (tip; click Tools, Start Private Browsing -- or simply Ctrl + Shift + P), and more. It does not take a genius to figure this out, and like life; there are no guarantees on complete success but in my opinion it is better to try to cover your tracks and protect yourself then stand by the side lines and risk being a slave to the surveillance state, or a victim of identity theft.

"The Constitution does not specifically mention a right to privacy. However, Supreme Court decisions over the years have established that the right to privacy is a basic human right, and as such is protected by virtue of the 9th Amendment. The right to privacy has come to the public's attention via several controversial Supreme Court rulings, including several dealing with contraception (the Griswold and Eisenstadt cases), interracial marriage (the Loving case), and abortion (the well-known Roe v Wade case). In addition, it is said that a right to privacy is inherent in many of the amendments in the Bill of Rights, such as the 3rd, the 4th's search and seizure limits, and the 5th's self-incrimination limit." (Source: http://www.usconstitution.net/constnot.html#privacy)

Anonymity is liberty.

- Nathan Wosnack