Yahoo inappropriately disclosed information about the true name belonging to a pseudonym of a user in response to a subpoena, according to a federal lawsuit filed earlier this month in California. Anonymity has long been a shield from the tyranny of the majority. It protects individuals from retaliation for having unpopular views, and it prevents controversial ideas from being suppressed. Shakespeare, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Mark Twain, and Ann Rice used pseudonyms. In the McIntyre case, the Supreme Court struck down a law that requred pamphleteers to identify themselves, saying there was a right to anonymity in a democracy.
Journalists rely on guarantees of anonymity to shield their sources from disclosure.
Anonymity protects whistleblowers from being fired when revealing corporate malfeasance or government wrongdoing. Without anonymity and pseudonymity, some communities could not exist. Alcoholics Anonymous, AIDS support groups, drug addiction support and other mutual help organizations rely on anonymity to protect the identity of their members. Anonymity reduces the risk of social ostracism, and promotes democracy online. Legal attempts to restrict it should be rejected.