Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ανωνυμία, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". A name ( Etymology: from OE nama akin to OHG namo, Latin Nomen, and Greek όνομα ( In colloquial use, the term typically refers to a person, and often means that the personal identity, or personally identifiable information of that person is not known. Identity is an Umbrella term used throughout the Social sciences to describe an individual's comprehension of him or herself as a discrete separate entity Whilst the acronym PII is commonly used there is no common or agreed use of the words from which it is created

More strictly, and in reference to an arbitrary element (e. g. a human, an object, a computer), within a well-defined set (called the "anonymity set"), "anonymity" of that element refers to the property of that element of not being identifiable within this set. A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. If it is not identifiable, then the element is said to be "anonymous".

An example: Suppose that only Alice, Bob, and Carol have the keys to a bank safe and that, one day, the contents of the safe are missing (without the lock being violated). The names Alice and Bob are commonly used placeholders for archetypal characters in fields such as Cryptography and Physics. Without any additional information, we do not know for sure whether it was Alice, Bob or Carol that opened the safe; the perpetrator remains anonymous. In particular, each of the elements in {Alice, Bob, Carol} has a 1/3 chance of being the perpetrator. However, as long as none of them has been identified as being the perpetrator with 100% certainty, we can say that the perpetrator remains anonymous.

Anonymity is not an absolute. That is, the degree of anonymity one enjoys may vary. In the above example, if Carol has an ironclad alibi at the time of the perpetration, then we may deduce that it must have been either Alice or Bob who opened the safe. That is, the probability of the elements {Alice, Bob, Carol} of being the perpetrator is now 1/2, 1/2, and 0 respectively. This clearly amounts to a reduction of the perpetrator's anonymity (i. e. although the perpetrator still remains anonymous, it is now more likely than before that (s)he is either Alice or Bob).

The term "anonymous message" typically refers to message (which is, for example, transmitted over some form of a network) that does not carry any information about its sender and its intended recipient. A message in its most general meaning is an object of Communication. It is therefore unclear if multiple such messages have been sent by the same sender or if they have the same intended recipient.

Sometimes it is desired that a person can establish a long-term relationship (such as a reputation) with some other entity, without his/her personal identity being disclosed to that entity. Identity is an Umbrella term used throughout the Social sciences to describe an individual's comprehension of him or herself as a discrete separate entity In this case, it may be useful for the person to establish a unique identifier, called a pseudonym, with the other entity. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) Examples of pseudonyms are nicknames, credit card numbers, student numbers, bank account numbers, IP addresses. A pseudonym enables the other entity to link different messages from the same person and, thereby, the maintenance of a long-term relationship. Although typically pseudonyms do not contain personally identifying information, communication that is based on pseudonyms is often not classified as "anonymous", but as "pseudonymous" instead. Whilst the acronym PII is commonly used there is no common or agreed use of the words from which it is created Indeed, in some contexts, anonymity and pseudonymity are separate concepts. Pseudonymity is a word derived from Pseudonym, meaning 'false name' and describes a state of disguised identity resulting from the use of a pseudonym (also called nym

However, in other contexts what matters is that both anonymity and pseudonymity are concepts that are, among other things, concerned with hiding a person's legal identity. In such contexts people may not distinguish between anonymity and pseudonymity.

The problem of determining whether or not the identity of a communication partner is the same as one previously encountered is the problem of authentication. Authentication (from Greek αυθεντικός real or genuine from authentes author is the act of establishing or confirming something (or someone as

Means of obtaining anonymity

Anonymity is a result of not having identifying characteristics (such as a name or description of physical appearance) disclosed. This can occur from a lack of interest in learning the nature of such characteristics, or through intentional efforts to hide these characteristics. An example of the former would include a brief encounter with a stranger, when learning the other person's name is not deemed necessary. An example of the latter would include someone hiding behind clothing that covers identifying features like hair color, scars, or tattoos, in order to avoid identification.

In some cases, anonymity is reached unintentionally, as is often the case with victims of crimes or war battles, when a body is discovered in such a state that the physical features used to identify someone are no longer present. In the sociological field, crime is the breach of a rule or Law for which some governing authority or force may ultimately prescribe a Punishment War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Anonymity is not always found in such morbid situations, however. As an example, a winner of a lottery jackpot is anonymous (one of however many play the lottery) until that person turns in the winning lottery ticket. A lottery is a form of Gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize

There are many reasons why a person might choose to obscure their identity and become anonymous. Several of these reasons are legal and legitimate - many acts of charity are performed anonymously, as benefactors do not wish, for whatever reason, to be acknowledged for their action. In Christian Theology charity, or love ( Agapē) means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others Someone who feels threatened by someone else might attempt to hide from the threat behind various means of anonymity, a witness to a crime can seek to avoid retribution, for example, by anonymously calling a crime tipline. There are also many illegal reasons to hide behind anonymity. Criminals typically try to keep themselves anonymous either to conceal the fact that a crime has been committed, or to avoid capture, They also report their competitors in crime to legal authorities as a method of competition.

Anonymity and social situations

Anonymity may reduce the accountability one perceives to have for their actions, and removes the impact these actions might otherwise have on their reputation. Accountability is a concept in Ethics with several meanings It is often used synonymously with such concepts as answerability enforcement responsibility, blameworthiness Reputation is the opinion (more technically a social evaluation of the public toward a Person, a group of people, or an Organization. This can have dramatic effects, both useful and harmful.

In conversational settings, anonymity may allow people to reveal personal history and feelings without fear of later embarrassment. Electronic conversational media can provide physical isolation, in addition to anonymity. This prevents physical retaliation for remarks, and prevents negative or taboo behavior or discussion from tarnishing the reputation of the speaker. This can be beneficial when discussing very private matters, or taboo subjects or expressing views or revealing facts which may put someone in physical, financial, or legal danger (such as illegal activity, or unpopular or outlawed political views). Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society

With few perceived negative consequences, anonymous or semi-anonymous forums often provide a soapbox for disruptive conversational behavior. Some people label those who do this online as Internet trolls. An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community such as an

Relative anonymity is often enjoyed in large crowds. Different people have different psychological and philosophical reactions to this development, especially as a modern phenomenon. This anonymity is an important factor in crowd psychology. Crowd psychology, or social facilitation theory, is a branch of Social psychology.

Anonymity, commerce, and crime

Anonymous commercial transactions can protect the privacy of consumers. Some consumers prefer to use cash when buying everyday goods (like groceries or tools), to prevent sellers from aggregating information or soliciting them in the future. (Credit cards are linked to a person's name, and can be used to discover other information, such as postal address, phone number, etc. ) When purchasing taboo goods and services, anonymity makes many potential consumers more comfortable with or more willing to engage in the transaction. Many loyalty programs use cards which personally identify the consumer engaging in each transaction (possibly for later solicitation, or for redemption or security purposes), or which act as a numerical pseudonym, for use in data mining. Loyalty programs are structured marketing efforts that reward and therefore encourage loyal buying behaviour — behaviour which is potentially of benefit to the firm A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) Data mining is the process of Sorting through large amounts of data and picking out relevant information

Anonymity can also be used as a protection against legal prosecution. For example, when committing a robbery, many criminals will obscure their faces to avoid identification. In organized crime, groups of criminals may collaborate on a certain project without revealing to each other their names or other personally identifiable information. "Crime syndicate" redirects here For the DC Comics group of villains see Crime Syndicate. The movie The Thomas Crown Affair depicted a fictional collaboration by people who had never previously met and did not know who had recruited them. The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1968 movie by Norman Jewison starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. The anonymous purchase of a gun or knife to be used in a crime helps prevent linking an abandoned weapon to the identity of the perpetrator.

Anonymity in charity

There are two aspects, one, giving to a large charitable organization such as the United Way obscures the beneficiary of a donation from the benefactor, the other is giving anonymously to obscure the benefactor both from the beneficiary and from everyone else. United Way may refer to United Way of America, a coalition of charitable organizations in the United States United Way of Canada, which There are many reasons this is done. Anonymous charity has long been a widespread and durable moral precept of many ethical and religious systems, as well as being in practice a widespread human activity. A benefactor may not wish to establish any relationship with the beneficiary, particularly if the beneficiary is perceived as being unsavory. A benefactor may not wish to identify themselves as capable of giving. A benefactor may wish to improve the world, as long as no one knows who did it, out of modesty, wishing to avoid publicity. ^[1]

Issues facing the anonymous

Attempts at anonymity are not always met with support from society. A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions There is a trend in society to mistrust someone who makes an effort to maintain their anonymity. This is often summed up in the statement, "You wouldn't want to stay anonymous unless you had something to hide. " The implication is that there is no legitimate reason to obscure one's identity from the world as a whole.

Anonymity sometimes clashes with the policies and procedures of governments or private organizations. In the United States, disclosure of identity is required to be able to vote. In airports in most countries, passengers are not allowed to board flights unless they have identified themselves to some sort of airline or transportation security personnel, typically in the form of the presentation of an identification card. An airport is a location where Aircraft such as airplanes, Helicopters and blimps take off and land An identity document, also called a piece of identification ( ID) is a document used to verify aspects of a person's Identity.

On the other hand, some policies and procedures require anonymity. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ". The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly ( 10 December 1948 at Palais . . periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage . . . shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. "

Referring to the anonymous

When it is necessary to refer to someone who is anonymous, it is typically necessary to create a type of pseudo-identification for that person. In literature, the most common way to state that the identity of an author is unknown is to refer to them as simply "Anonymous. " This is usually the case with older texts in which the author is long dead and unable to claim authorship of a work. When the work claims to be that of some famous author the pseudonymous author is identified as "Pseudo-", as in Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, an author claiming—and long believed—to be Dionysius the Areopagite, an early Christian convert. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, also known as Pseudo-Denys, is the anonymous theologian and philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century whose Corpus Areopagiticum Dionysius the Areopagite ( Greek) was the Judge of the Areopagus who as related in the Acts of the Apostles, (

Anonymus, in its Latin spelling, generally with a specific city designation, is traditionally used by scholars in the humanities to refer to an ancient writer whose name is not known, or to a manuscript of their work. Very many such writers have left valuable historical or literary records: an incomplete list of such Anonymi is at Anonymus. Anonymus is the Latin word for anonymous, the correct English spelling

In the history of art, many painting workshops can be identified by their characteristic style and discussed and the workshop's output set in chronological order. Sometimes archival research later identifies the name, as when the "Master of Flémalle"—defined by three paintings in the Städelsches Kunstinstitut in Frankfurt— was identified as Robert Campin. Robert Campin (c 1375 &ndash 26 April 1444) now usually identified with the artist known as the Master of Flémalle, is usually considered the first The 20th-century art historian Bernard Berenson methodically identified numerous early Renaissance Florentine and Sienese workshops under such sobriquets as "Amico di Sandro" for an anonymous painter in the immediate circle of Sandro Botticelli. Bernard Berenson (born June 26, 1865 Butrimonys (now in Alytus district of Lithuania) &ndash October 6, 1959 Florence A sobriquet is a Nickname or a fancy name usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a Pseudonym assumed as a disguise but a nickname which is familiar

In legal cases, a popularly accepted name to use when it is determined that an individual needs to maintain anonymity is "John Doe. The Name " John Doe " is used as a Placeholder name for a male party in a legal action case or discussion whose true identity is either unknown or " This name is often modified to "Jane Doe" when the anonymity-seeker is female. The Name " John Doe " is used as a Placeholder name for a male party in a legal action case or discussion whose true identity is either unknown or

The military often feels a need to honor the remains of soldiers for whom identification is impossible. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking In many countries, such a memorial is named the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Throughout history many Soldiers have died in wars without their remains being identified

Anonymity and the press

Most modern newspapers and magazines attribute their articles to individual editors, or to news agencies. News agency (alternative A news agency is an organization of Journalists established to supply News reports to organizations in the News trade An exception is the British weekly The Economist, which may be the world's only un-bylined paper. The Economist is an English-language weekly news and International affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd and edited in London The byline on a Newspaper or Magazine article gives the name and often the position of the writer of the article All British newspapers run their leaders (i. e. editorials) anonymously. An editorial, leader (UK or leading article (UK is an article in a Newspaper or Magazine that expresses the opinion of the Editor

Anonymity on the Internet

Most commentary on the Internet is essentially done anonymously, using unidentifiable pseudonyms. While these names can take on an identity of their own, they are frequently separated from and anonymous from the actual author, creating more freedom of expression, and less accountability. ^[2] Wikipedia is written mostly by authors using either an unidentifiable pseudonym or an IP identifier, although a few have used an identified pseudonym or their real name.

Anonymity and politics

Modern pasquinades glued to the base of Pasquino, one of the Talking Statues of Rome. The Talking Statues of Rome were a form of anonymous political expression in Rome.

The history of anonymous expression in political dissent is both long and honourable, as in the Letters of Junius or Voltaire's Candide, or scurrilous as in pasquinades. Junius was the pseudonym of a writer who contributed a series of letters to the Public Advertiser, from January 21 1769 to January François-Marie Arouet ( 21 November 1694 30 May 1778) better known by the Pen name Voltaire, was a French --> Candide ou l'Optimisme (1759 is a French Satire by the Enlightenment Philosopher Voltaire, English translations of which Pasquinade refers to an anonymous Lampoon, whether in verse or in prose In the tradition of anonymous British political criticism, the Federalist Papers were anonymously authored. The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution. Without the public discourse on the controversial contents of the U.S. Constitution, ratification would likely have taken much longer as individuals worked through the issues. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. The United States Declaration of Independence, however, was not anonymous. The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4 1776 announcing that the thirteen American colonies then If it had been unsigned, it might well have been less effective. In The Infrastructure of Democracy, John Perry Barlow, Joichi Ito, and other US bloggers express a very strong support for anonymous editing as one of the basic requirements of open politics as conducted on the Internet. John Perry Barlow (born October 3, 1947) is an American Poet, Essayist, retired Wyoming cattle rancher political more commonly known as Joi Ito, is a Japanese Activist, Entrepreneur, and Venture capitalist. A blog (a contraction of the term " Web log " is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary descriptions of The open politics theory combines aspects of the Free software and Open content movements promoting Decision making methods claimed to be more open Saipansucks.com is an example of an anonymously written website that socially and politically criticizes the United States' Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and UticaSux. Saipan Sucks (SaipanSuckscom is a politically and Socially Critical website about the United States 's Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI is a commonwealth in Political union with the United com which politically criticizes the local government at Utica, New York in the United States.

See also

• Anonymity application
• Anonymous web browsing
• List of anonymously published works
• Anonymous P2P
• Friend-to-friend
• Private P2P
• Personally identifiable information
• Pseudonymity, Pseudonymization
• John Doe
• Crypto-anarchism
• Internet privacy
• FLAIM
• Anonymous (Group)

References

1. ^ Donors Increasingly Make Their Big Gifts Anonymously, Chronicle Analysis Finds
2. ^ Anonymity on the Internet