Use Case No. 9 - Anonymous publishing

The Digital Media Manifesto
Source	Martin Springer
Title	Use Case No. 9 - Anonymous Publishing	No.	031201springer01r1

1. Introduction

Purpose of this contribution is to consider the Use Case of Anonymous Publishing.

This is a very simplified study. It is hoped that other contributions will extend the analysis.

2. Description of the traditional use case

"What has been thought once cannot be redeemed" [1]

2.1 Traditional functions

"Yet we must not forget that anonymous publishers have played an important role throughout the history of publication. Freedom of anonymous speech is an essential component of free speech, and freedom of speech is a critical part of any healthy democracy. For instance, the United States Supreme Court has consistently upheld protection for anonymous publication of political speech.

As Justice Stevens wrote in the McIntyre v Ohio Election Commission majority opinion, Under our Constitution, anonymous pamphleteering is not a pernicious, fraudulent practice, but an honorable tradition of advocacy and of dissent. Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority." [2]

2.2 Traditional value chain players

Governments
Political Dissidents
Publishers

2.3 Technologies used in the traditional use case

Printing
Radio Broadcast
Samizdat ("self-publishing")

2.4 Legislative framework of the traditional use case

Freedom of expression [3], [4]

3. Description of the digital use case

A member of a government commissions a top-secret history of his country's role in a war. The history and all the appended documents have been composed on a government internal computer system in the form of computer files.

All original documents have applied rights expressions stating that any further publication or distribution must include tracking information of some sort.

The government member hands over the history and most of the original documents to an administrator of a website who regularly publishes documents that are prohibited by governments.

If the administrator of the website redistributes the files with included information identifying the author, publisher or distributor, the life of the government member might be at risk.

3.1 Functions of the digital use case

"take advantage of the highly-favorable economics and vast potential audience available to WWW publishers" [2]
"use anonymity to avoid suppression of controversial ideas: when the targeted party cannot be identified, it is much harder to bring legal and other pressure on the author or printer" [2]

3.2 Value chain players in the digital use case

Governments

Political Dissidents

Electronic (e.g. WWW) Publishers

3.3 Technologies used in the digital use case