Conclusion

This concluding chapter explores the culture of anonymity empowerment. It insists that the benefits of America's strong anonymity protections outweigh the harm it gives. Colonial pamphlets, newspaper articles, and online posts have similar compelling motivations for anonymity. The First Amendment protections provide a good balance for anonymous speech, creating an atmosphere that prevents the government from mandating the real-name policies and other anonymity killers seen in other countries. The chapter also considers anonymity as a free speech issue and a privacy law issue simultaneously. It highlights that the culture of anonymity empowerment is essential to the spirited dissent and debate that undergirds democracy.