This Post Has 4 Comments

1. This Interesting Book Tells About Being Anonymous
   This is an excellent book on the subject of being anonymous. Some of the interesting information that the author of this book mentions in this book includes the following information: For a person to reveal their identity may distract the readers from the content of the message. By being anonymous, readers are forced to focus on the substance of the arguments. A person may want to be anonymous to avoid public attention without exposing himself and his family to public figure status. An individual may want to be anonymous for safety purposes and the economic motivation of preventing one from losing one’s job. Thomas Paine published Common Sense anonymously. Before the Revolutionary War, patriots had to frequently conceal their authorship. The drafting of the Federalist Papers was done anonymously. People seek anonymity to protect against retaliation and the suppression of ideas.

   Reply

2. Strikingly well-written and informative
   This is truly an excellent book, especially for those in the legal field with an eye towards privacy. However, because the book is written so well, I believe that non-lawyers would easily be able to follow the book as well. The book lays out a fascinating history of anonymity and pseudonymity in both the world and United States alone. It then dives into the court cases that have granted or taken away the rights of individuals to engage in anonymous and pseudonymous speech. Kosseff concludes by calling for a more comprehensive federal privacy regime which focuses on protecting the rights of anonymity. Wonderful book to read. Highly recommend to all.

   Reply

3. Important for public discourse on free speech
   This is a heavy book to read but its an important book. With the advancing state of technology and the ever rotating discourse of speech, it is important (based in the geopolitical realm of the US), to know how the first amendment has shaped public discourse that have created the foundations for the systems that are present in out every day lives.This is not a light read, mind you. If you are interested in the topic of law, free speech and internet security, this is your book. As the law jargon is very much present, it can be a task to get through but it is an interesting read that would leave you all the more knowledgeable on how your rights have shaped communication discourse and anonymity up to the modern age.Thank you NetGalley and Cornell University Press for the ARC.

   Reply

4. Nuance and entertainment, on a difficult subject
   I cannot recommend many books about legal history and esoteric constitutional principles, but this one is an exception. Kosseff takes his readers through the history of anonymity protections as they relate to the 1st Amendment with many fascinating stops along the way, including the Founders’ anonymous pamphlets that were crucial to the American Revolution, to the ’90s tech boom when Yahoo! Finance forums became a battleground for anonymous free speech.

   Reply