IP: Anonymous Communication on the Internet [ I was at the referenced meeting djf]

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
  For more information, contact 
  Ellen Cooper, 202-326-6431, ecooper () aaas org 
  Dave Amber, 202-326-6434, damber () aaas org 
  George Vlahakis, 812-855-3911, gvlahaki () indiana edu 
  
  AAAS URGES CAUTION IN REGULATING 
  ANONYMOUS COMMUNICATION ON THE 
  INTERNET 
  Benefits of Anonymity Outweigh Likely Harms 
  
  Washington, DC (June 29, 1999)-Governments should be cautious in 
  attempting to regulate how people conceal their identities on the 
  Internet, according to a new study by the American Association for the 
  Advancement of Science (AAAS). Such regulations could prevent people 
  from seeking counseling, expressing political opinions or engaging in 
  financial transactions, and could impede the development of e-commerce 
  and the World Wide Web. 
  
  The study is the first comprehensive analysis of how to balance 
  the costs and benefits of anonymous communication on the Internet 
  and is presented in the April-June issue of The Information Society, 
  an international journal whose editorial offices are at Indiana 
  University's School of Library and Information Science. The journal 
  is published by Taylor & Francis Inc. The study is the result of a 
  two-year project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to 
  examine online anonymity. 
  
  "Policymakers ought not to react overzealously because some people 
  have misused anonymous communications on the Internet," said Al 
  Teich, director of Science and Policy Programs at AAAS. "If anonymous 
  communication is used for illegal purposes, the originators of the 
  anonymous messages-if they can be found-should be punished. However, 
  the positive values of anonymity more than offset the dangers it 
  presents." 
  
  Rachelle Hollander, director of NSF's Societal Dimensions of 
  Engineering, Science and Technology program, which funded the study, 
  said, "There are many differences between Internet communications and 
  other forms, but there is one significant similarity: The content of 
  the communication, not just whether or not it is anonymous, determines 
  its value. Anonymous communications over the Internet have positive 
  and negative aspects. So do anonymous communications by telephone, 
  the U.S. Mail, or the company suggestion box." 
  
  The explosive growth of the Internet over the last decade has created 
  new avenues for anonymous communications. Anonymous remailers allow 
  Internet users, free of charge, to post anonymous messages to most 
  Usenet newsgroups or to send anonymous e-mail to anyone they wish. In 
  its simplest form, an anonymous remailer works by accepting an e-mail 
  message from a sender, stripping off the headers that would serve to 
  identify the sender, and then forwarding the message to the intended 
  recipient. 
  
  Under the cloak of anonymity, users can participate in political and 
  human rights advocacy, engage in whistle blowing, receive counseling 
  and perform commercial transactions without disclosing their 
  identities. However, anonymity also helps to protects users who take 
  part in socially unacceptable or criminal activities because of the 
  difficulty in holding them accountable. Harmful communications include 
  spamming, hate mail, child pornography and online financial fraud. 
  
  - more - 
  
  "Anonymous communication is a form of communication, with all of the 
  human complexities that we experience in modern society. In modern 
  society people routinely communicate anonymously when they shop or 
  travel. It seems a bit more exotic in discussions of the Internet 
  because of the social significance of specially helpful or harmful 
  communications, and because of the technological complexities in 
  creating or hiding on-line identities," said Rob Kling, editor-in- 
  chief of The Information Society and Indiana University professor of 
  information science and information systems. 
  
  In order to give Internet users the opportunity to communicate 
  anonymously for legitimate reasons while deterring illegal or 
  unethical uses of anonymity, the study makes several recommendations, 
  including allowing online communities to set their own policies on 
  the use of anonymous communication and informing Internet users about 
  the extent to which their identity is disclosed online. The study 
  discusses how anonymous communication can be shaped by the law, 
  education and public awareness, and highlights the importance of 
  involving all affected interests in policy development. 
  
  Policymakers, business leaders and scientists have been grappling 
  with the just how anonymity should or shouldn't be regulated on 
  the Internet. Several companies have pursued the strategy of filing 
  "John Doe" lawsuits that enable them to subpoena files revealing 
  the identities of those who they claim have defamed them on the 
  Internet. And the U.S. government has placed strict export limits 
  on high-powered encryption that is necessary to guarantee anonymity 
  (although the House and the Senate are considering bills that would 
  change the policy). Proponents of anonymity, however, argue that 
  efforts to use the courts or regulations to control anonymity on the 
  Internet can hamper technological advancement and undermine the open 
  exchange of information. 
  
  Instances of both harmful and beneficial uses of anonymity are 
  plentiful on the Internet. In 1996, a student at a University of 
  California campus caused anguish for many people by sending anonymous 
  hate mail to an Asian student electronic list. On the other hand, 
  during NATO's military attacks on Kosovo in March 1999, special 
  services were created to help Kosovars, Serbs and others reporting 
  on the war to send e-mail anonymously or to post their comments on 
  certain Web sites, avoiding both censorship and possible reprisals. 
  
  As one part of its online anonymity project, AAAS held a 
  conference in November 1997 to address the problem of how to foster 
  socially desirable uses online while discouraging undesirable 
  uses. AAAS also conducted an online survey, convened focus groups 
  of professionals, commissioned background papers on anonymity, 
  and developed a series of case studies for educational use. 
  A description of the project can be found on the AAAS Web site at 
  <http://www.aaas.org/spp/anon/>. 
  
  The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the 
  world's largest federation of scientists, works to advance science 
  for human well-being through its projects, programs, and publications. 
  With more than 146,000 members and 282 affiliated societies, AAAS 
  conducts many programs in the areas of science policy, science 
  education and international scientific cooperation. AAAS publishes 
  the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Science, as well as a number of 
  electronic features on the World Wide Web. 
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