Is anonymity a fundamental human trait? For solitary animals like cats who act hostile toward all other members of their species, it is probably their natural propensity to remain in secrecy. For us humans, it seems different since the earliest human societies were based on families and common bloodlines. Perhaps as our societies expanded and grew more complex, anonymity was created in reverse and became ingrained in us as a guide to survival. We can harness it to further stand out among others or to cause a change in our favor. I remember moving from a middle school where every teacher knew the names of their students to one in the metropolitan area, and the sense of anonymity there genuinely scared me. Now that I know anonymity is a default value in all of society (unless there is nepotism involved) that I must begin with and make use of, I have come to embrace it.
A time-tested method applicable to all fields of human life is analogous thinking. Whether it’s in politics, literature, or science, it helps us learn and remember better. I wanted to understand online anonymity by first understanding the anonymity that exists in general human societies and by drawing this parallel comparison to the Internet, I can conclude anonymity is something that should exist online just as in real life.
The reason why some people consider anonymity on the Internet to be problematic is mostly due to cases of extreme harassment and bullying, from which the argument arises that such actions cannot be the rights of individuals. But do they happen exclusively online, and are they therefore relatively new inventions? Try searching “anonymous document” or “throwing letter” in Korea’s Sillok which will pour out a thousand results. It’s simply impossible to ban anonymous threats, lies, or complaints in real life because nobody can forcibly block people from exploiting anonymity. Moral issues can’t be resolved by banning their methods of manifestation.
This brings me to the second argument: It’s fundamentally not right to coerce people to act in a well-behaved manner by dominating them and placing repercussions on their actions. Confucius famously differed from Han Feizi in his belief that a government should not utilize punishments to keep social order since the people will basically be unashamed of whatever they do that goes unpunished. We already have too much government control in Korea with the CCTVs everywhere, with our fingerprints all in the government’s hands. We then like to pride ourselves on our safety by comparing us to Europe or the US where there are supposedly petty thieves everywhere, but does that mean we have less petty jealousy and fewer petty material desires than them? A 2021 Pew survey on life values in advanced economies tells the opposite – ours was the only country where money was ranked above all else. Ultimately, what backs up a society all boils down to the trust and love in the people. We need to work to build this mutual care amongst our citizens, not invite the government to surveil us to “protect our rights”.
My last argument for anonymity is that we should not underestimate the power of privacy that it provides to those who sincerely need it. There may be people with mental problems or those facing abuse for whom it may serve as a sanctuary where they find courage, seek help, and break the cycle. We can never be too careful not to allow something to be overlooked when making policy decisions.
These are my reasons for supporting anonymity on the Internet. I hope this essay will usher in more interesting discussions and rebuttals.