Book Review: Chapter 7: Online Anonymity

 

Book: The-handbook-of-information-and-computer-ethic

 

Author:  KATHLEEN A. WALLACE

 

Library Reference: N/A

 

Amazon Reference:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Information-Computer-Ethics/dp/0471799599/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233037513&sr=1-1

 

 

Quote:

 

“The logic of anonymity in modern life”

 

Learning Expectations

 

• What is anonymity?
• What is/are the connection of anonymity online?
• How can be implemented?

Review:

 

When we say the word “Anonymity”, the first concept comes into our mind is that it is questionable, or in other words, unidentifiable. We have no idea about it. We don’t know how to define it, that’s why, anonymity is defined also as a freedom from identification. It is anonymous, in a way that we don’t know everything about it, and because we have no idea about it, we must think something for it, we must define it as much as possible to give description to it. Because of this, the word “freedom” came out. And since freedom is so much powerful to a person, we have a power to choose it and a power to have a responsibility over it. Anonymity is the state of not knowing of something and therefore, it considered as a lack of distinctiveness. We know that this is existed but we have no description over it. No one can define unless, if we have more information about it, there’s a big possibility that we could define it formally. For the next part of this chapter, we will deal the purpose and the impact of anonymity in the social environment.

 

Anonymity maybe deliberately sought or something that occurs spontaneously from the sheer complexity of modern life.  That’s the effect in our lives. As we can see, it occurs spontaneously, therefore, we don’t know everything about it and we are clueless about it. For instance, If a person asked you to define a particular character in the movie and that character role is very mysterious, then we have to think that this character only done a particular role which is a big role in the film, but you can’t identify his/her name especially when that actor/actress is not that popular, therefore, the first perception is that “who is this character in real life?” As a result, it is called the anonymous character in the movie. So, the next time you so this character, we will think that “This is the character in the movie”. But still, it is anonymous to you because you have no information about it. As an analogy to social environment, If there is something existed and people have an issue about it, the people just think that this is anonymous simply because they have no idea for it. And since it is spontaneous, we will immediately forget about this issue. And if you have no interest with it, therefore, it will mislay into your mind.

 

That’s the concept of anonymity in a layman’s point of view. How about if it is on the internet and social environment side? Does anonymity is still present? How can anonymity applied in the social and internet side?

 

 

 Based on this chapter, the Internet as a social environment may be of concern in so far as it has the capacity to increase the scope of natural or spontaneous anonymity as a by-product of or endemic to the nature of online communicative relations. Since we have a powerful tool like internet, there are lots of spontaneous anonymity will happen. Believe it or not, it will come across the globe. The social per se have a big possibility to react over this issue. See the picture of the impact? It is very much sensitive. People will react and react just to identify this anonymity of something will be affecting their lives. Since internet is powerful tool, it is also a big help to eliminate the conception of anonymity. For example in a social networking site, if someone viewed your profile that is anonymous, then you don’t know him/her. Therefore, since internet has the information and there are other social networking site, and you are interested who he/she is, then you can find it through net by social networking site.  In this way, you can identify the person and you can eliminate your anonymity.

 

Another sensitive part is that if a hacker hacked into your system, and you don’t know this particular hacker, it is anonymous for you; therefore, if you are good in hacking you can do it to him/her. The problem is that how about the 10 commandments of computer ethics? You will violate one of those. It will depend on your moral or conscience if you will do that or not.

 

What I’ve learned:

 

 

I learned that anonymity is sometimes good or bad. Based on this chapter, it is an advantage and disadvantage for us people to know the anonymity of something. The idea is that we are now in the modern world and information is so much powerful in terms to social impact. Therefore, the internet as a tool, we must use it to identify something that is good for us and can benefit us in a way that it is a good manner or way.

 

Integrative Questions:

 

1.     What is anonymity?

2.     What’s the role of internet in terms of this particular topic?

3.     How can we use this in defending ourselves?

4.     How can we actually deal with it?

5.     Does 10 commandment present in this particular chapter?

Citations: N/A