Thoughts on anonymity and privacy
Found this article on the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else)". Most of it is about what one must do if one is really serious about remaining anonymous--a must-read for the aspiring anonymous blogger. But the introduction is instructive of the larger picture:
A blogger concerned about privacy (as opposed to anonymity), on the other hand, wants either no one, or only a select--private--group, to read what he writes. But relevant factors overlap. Let's begin with the blogger whose audience group is exactly one--the blog is strictly personal and meant for the blogger himself or herself. Yes, by all means there are a variety of technical means by which a blog can be made very secure to prying eyes (or the occasional wanderer); but why go through all that trouble to secure it online if no one is supposed to read it anyway, and when it could have been offline in the first place.
More interesting is the blog meant for a select audience of more than one, an exclusive group of friends, for instance. Now there are some very good and commonsense reasons to put things meant only for a select few online--the friends could be in far flung corners of the world, for example. And having a blog implies that one's friends could come read of their own accord, on their own time, rather than have mass-emails stuffed into their mailboxes. I suspect that many if not most blogs are of this nature in their intention--the blogger meant what he or she writes for his or her friends. And most of such blogs are not specially protected by technical means (passwords, etc.). But it is important to keep the nature of the internet in mind: if a blog meant for a select few is not properly protected, it is extremely possible that eventually, someone could wander to it and be non the wiser that it was meant for a select few in the first place.
The above is not meant to suggest that one cannot wish or intend that one's blog be private (whether for oneself alone, or for a select few); it is merely a reminder that what one wishes or intends is one thing, how the wish or intention translates into reality is another.
UPDATE: Some interesting recent posts on the topic: here, here, here and here (warning, CZ appears on some of them, in case you are sick and tired of the whole affair). UPDATE: Almost forgot this one.
UPDATE 2: Another interesting article on this subject. From Wired (Dec 3, 2004), "How Long Is Your Digital Trail?" by Regina Lynn (hat tip: Agagooga).
UPDATE 3: Nilsinelabore asks the crucial question:
UPDATE 4: PSC has reprimanded the scholar involved (Apr 26).
Blogs are like personal telephone calls crossed with newspapers. They're the perfect tool for sharing your favorite chocolate mousse recipe with friends--or for upholding the basic tenets of democracy by letting the public know that a corrupt government official has been paying off your boss.Now anonymity and privacy in blogging are two distinct things. An anonymous blogger may not be concerned about privacy at all--he may want as many people as possible reading what he writes; he just doesn't want them to know exactly who he is. As the above article points out, this is not just a matter of signing off in a pseudonym, but involves (inter alia) not mentioning any identifying details about oneself, or one's workplace, school, etc.
If you blog, there are no guarantees you'll attract a readership of thousands. But at least a few readers will find your blog, and they may be the people you'd least want or expect. These include potential or current employers, coworkers, and professional colleagues; your neighbors; your spouse or partner; your family; and anyone else curious enough to type your name, email address or screen name into Google or Feedster and click a few links.
The point is that anyone can eventually find your blog if your real identity is tied to it in some way. And there may be consequences. Family members may be shocked or upset when they read your uncensored thoughts. A potential boss may think twice about hiring you. But these concerns shouldn't stop you from writing. Instead, they should inspire you to keep your blog private, or accessible only to certain trusted people.
A blogger concerned about privacy (as opposed to anonymity), on the other hand, wants either no one, or only a select--private--group, to read what he writes. But relevant factors overlap. Let's begin with the blogger whose audience group is exactly one--the blog is strictly personal and meant for the blogger himself or herself. Yes, by all means there are a variety of technical means by which a blog can be made very secure to prying eyes (or the occasional wanderer); but why go through all that trouble to secure it online if no one is supposed to read it anyway, and when it could have been offline in the first place.
More interesting is the blog meant for a select audience of more than one, an exclusive group of friends, for instance. Now there are some very good and commonsense reasons to put things meant only for a select few online--the friends could be in far flung corners of the world, for example. And having a blog implies that one's friends could come read of their own accord, on their own time, rather than have mass-emails stuffed into their mailboxes. I suspect that many if not most blogs are of this nature in their intention--the blogger meant what he or she writes for his or her friends. And most of such blogs are not specially protected by technical means (passwords, etc.). But it is important to keep the nature of the internet in mind: if a blog meant for a select few is not properly protected, it is extremely possible that eventually, someone could wander to it and be non the wiser that it was meant for a select few in the first place.
The above is not meant to suggest that one cannot wish or intend that one's blog be private (whether for oneself alone, or for a select few); it is merely a reminder that what one wishes or intends is one thing, how the wish or intention translates into reality is another.
UPDATE: Some interesting recent posts on the topic: here, here, here and here (warning, CZ appears on some of them, in case you are sick and tired of the whole affair). UPDATE: Almost forgot this one.
UPDATE 2: Another interesting article on this subject. From Wired (Dec 3, 2004), "How Long Is Your Digital Trail?" by Regina Lynn (hat tip: Agagooga).
UPDATE 3: Nilsinelabore asks the crucial question:
If you come across a blog (purely by accident) and what you find is extremely disturbing (and also because he/she is groomed to be a future Mandarin and not some regular Joe/Jane). What would you as a blogger do?Crucial, because, as Jeff Yen points out (and Nilsinelabore quotes):
For bloggers and online diarists, this has quite a few levels of ethical issues intertwined, and there is no precedent for us to rely on. The judgment that we as bloggers pronounce may one day come back and haunt us.I'm still thinking about it. But this much seems right. If the 'offending' blogger poses no clear and present danger (he's not about to set off a bomb), or more mundanely, he is not in a position of power over the people he could hurt (e.g., a teacher who blogs about sexual fantasies involving his pupils), then perhaps the best thing to do is to send an email to him first. Give him a chance to desist, before going public on your own blog (or have it sent to a popular blog)...
UPDATE 4: PSC has reprimanded the scholar involved (Apr 26).
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