Surfing | Email | Dial-Up | Pipeline | Publishing

P R E S S   R E L E A S E
ANONYMIZER, INC.                    11/21/97
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARCHIVE:    https://www.anonymizerproxy.com/press
CONTACT:    Mark Hedges             Anonymizer, Inc.
            (619) 667-7969 (ph)     Infonex Internet, Inc.
            (619) 667-7966 (fx)     8415 La Mesa Blvd. Suite 3
            hedges@anonymizer.com   La Mesa, CA  91941, USA
COTTRELL ATTENDS AAAS ANONYMITY CONFERENCE
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA - Anonymizer, Inc. CEO Lance Cottrell attends 
the conference on anonymity held this weekend by the American 
Association for the Advancement of Science. AAAS, an organization 
of esteemed scientists and scholars, offers conferences throughout 
the year on technology and science-related political and 
sociological issues and awards scientists for academic excellence. 
Their policies and advice help shape the future direction of 
United States science and technology. The exclusive, invitation-
only conference hosts the top names in Internet privacy, commerce, 
and technology in a three day discussion of Internet anonymity, 
its uses, and its effects.
Cottrell's conference statement stands strong for Internet 
anonymity. The controversy, he explains, is because Internet 
anonymity is difficult to achieve, while in real life, it is as 
easy as a postal letter without a return address. The Internet 
differs from the real world by widespread monitoring of all 
communications and information transactions. Monitoring the 
identities and reading habits of patrons at the local public 
library would be appalling, but on the Internet, the equivalent is 
accepted as routine and commonplace. Cottrell and Anonymizer, Inc. 
intend to change this. Cottrell's statement to the AAAS anonymity 
conference is clear.
"Anonymity existed in the physical world since the dawn of 
writing; it is only with the development of the Internet that 
anonymity became a major issue. It is the democratizing of 
anonymous speech, along with all other speech on the Internet, 
which caused it to come to public attention. When mass anonymous 
communications were mediated by large publishers and broadcasters, 
they could be safely contained and limited. My business is making 
anonymity available to everyone. Anonymity provides a bastion 
within which free speech can flourish.
"Technology, not laws, provide the maximum security to the masses. 
This is the only way to ensure free speech in the long term on a 
monitored medium like the Internet.
"Because the act of sending and receiving the message will be 
logged, to anonymize the message it must pass through one or more 
third parties who will obscure its origin and destination. The 
very nature of the Internet makes anonymity difficult. The 
complexity of the technology makes people think that the presence 
of anonymity, rather than its absence, is the aberration.
"Beyond the everyday technology of anonymity in the physical 
world, there are many fine and famous examples of public 
anonymity. Countless books and pamphlets have been published under 
pseudonyms or nom de plumes. Perhaps the most famous example of 
this is the Federalist Papers.
"Pseudonyms have been used to avoid negative repercussions, to 
hide writings which might be out of character for a public figure, 
or to avoid biases of readers who might make assumptions about the 
material based on the identity of the author. How much better off 
might Salman Rushdie be if he had published anonymously?
"Whistle blowing, law enforcement investigations, corporate 
research, and personal protection are all reasons my customers 
cite for using the anonymity services I provide. I have received 
dozens of letters thanking me for providing my services. Anonymity 
on the Internet provides real benefits in the real world."
Cottrell discusses abuses of Internet anonymity cited by critics 
and deftly counters these arguments. The Internet and the postal 
service can both be used to commit crimes, but both means of 
communication should be protected from routine monitoring, because 
the vast majority of people use communication for legitimate 
purposes. "Criminal abuse of anonymity is often cited as a reason 
to restrict or limit anonymity on the Internet. I do not accept 
this argument. Given the availability and quality of physical 
anonymity, it is no more difficult for law enforcement to find a 
criminal using anonymous remailers than one using physical mail 
boxes. It is impossible to inflict physical harm over the 
Internet. Because anonymity servers clearly label their users, it 
is actually more difficult to anonymously perpetuate frauds over 
the Internet. The most significant criminal activity I have seen 
using Internet anonymity is the delivery of ransom notes in a 
kidnapping case. While this is deplorable, the Internet does not 
give the criminals any new weapons. Kidnappers have sent anonymous 
ransom notes for hundreds of years with little difficulty. Were 
on-line anonymity services to weaken their security for the 
benefits of law enforcement, criminals would revert to using 
conventional forms of anonymity, while honest citizens and 
political dissidents in repressive countries would be injured.
"The greatest danger of anonymity is that it is not good enough. 
People typically use anonymity in situations where it would be 
harmful for them to do or say what they wanted using their real 
names. This danger can range from the release of embarrassing 
personal information or sensitive financial information, to the 
life threatening consequences of political dissent. The 
availability of anonymous communications is likely to encourage 
activities which the users would not undertake non-anonymously. If 
the security of the anonymity is not good enough, the users may be 
in much greater danger than if there were no access to anonymity.
"Government access to the identity of anonymous or pseudonymous 
users is a great concern. It is in these cases that the stakes are 
highest. While many would argue that their government would not 
misuse such power, other, less benevolent governments would 
certainly do so. Additionally, the risk to the user may be very 
long term. A dissident or radical author might be safe if 
identified to the current government, but might be executed for 
the same writings by a government in power twenty years from now. 
History is too full of examples of good governments transforming 
into dictatorships to ignore the possibility. The benevolence of a 
government over a lifetime can never be assured, and should never 
be assumed."
The AAAS anonymity conference lasts three days at the University 
of California, Irvine. Cottrell's statements and presence at the 
conference help to protect anonymity and the freedom to speak. 
"The importance of anonymity to the future of free speech, given 
the ease of surveillance on the Internet, can not be overstated."
About Anonymizer:  Anonymizer of La Mesa and the San Diego area 
provides anonymous web use, e-mail, and other anonymity services 
to the world-wide Internet community. Expanding services offer a 
comprehensive line of tools for anonymous reading, communication, 
and publishing. Anonymizer, Incorporated: 8415 La Mesa Bl. Ste. 3, 
La Mesa, California, 91941, United States of America. Phone: 
619-667-7969. Fax: 619-667-7966. World Wide Web: 
www.anonymizer.com. Electronic mail: info@anonymizer.com.