available in communications on the Internet. An earlier paper argues that anonymity in
electronic communication is problematic because:
(1) it makes law enforcement difficult (tracking down and catching on-line law-breakers
is difficult when their identity is unknown);
(2) it frees individuals to behave in socially undesirable and harmful ways (individuals
seem to engage in behavior they wouldn’t engage in if their identity were known);
(3) it diminishes the integrity of information since one can’t be sure who information
is coming from, whether it has been altered on the way, etc.; and (4) all three of the above
contribute to an environment of diminished trust which is not conducive to certain uses
of computer communication.
Counterbalancing these problems are some important benefits. Anonymity can facilitate
some socially desirable and beneficial behavior. For example, it can eliminate the
fear of repercussions for behavior in contexts in which repercussions would diminish the
availability or reliability of information, e.g., voting, personal relationships between consenting
adults, and the like. Furthermore, anonymity can be used constructively to reduce
the effect of prejudices on communications. (Gender can be masked, students can
write about professors with candor, and people with disabilities can participate without
stigma, for example.) Negative aspects of anonymity all seem to point to a tension between
accountability and anonymity. They suggest that accountability and anonymity are
not compatible, and they even seem to suggest that since accountability is a good thing,
it would be good to eliminate anonymity. In other words, the problems with anonymity
suggest that individuals are more likely to behave in socially desirable ways when they are
held accountable for their behavior (i.e., asked to explain, justify, or bear the consequences
for the behavior), and they are more likely to engage in socially undesirable
behavior when they are not held accountable. I am not going to take issue with the
correlation between accountability and anonymity, but rather with the claim that accountability
is (always) good.