The Meaning of Anonymous Communication Masayuki Eshita (Professor, Meiji University)
Anonymity has a strong image of hiding slander and slander on SNS, and is often perceived negatively. Eliminating anonymity completely is technically not easy. On the other hand, the amended Provider Liability Limitation Law will come into effect on October 1, 2022, and it seems that the procedure for requesting the disclosure of caller information has become smoother than before.
Is anonymity a technical problem to be solved? Of course, everyone agrees that it is necessary to hide the identity of the originator to ensure that information originates from dangerous areas and that organizations whistleblower. But in the first place, we prefer anonymous communication. Interaction that is not bound by ties is attractive to everyone. Originally, anonymous communication is also a feature of urban life. Densely populated cities with diverse populations have relatively more opportunities to come into contact with strangers on a daily basis. In social network theory, close relationships are called “strong ties” and estranged relationships are called “weak ties,” but these strengths and weaknesses do not indicate a moral meaning. Both have their strengths and weaknesses in forming human relationships, and they are in a complementary relationship. The idea of ??current social networks is that it is not enough for human relationships to be close and rich.
The advantage of a network formed by “weak ties” is, above all, the diversity of exchanges. Because we are not deeply involved, we can maintain relationships with people who have different values and exchange various information. However, the edges are easy to cut. On the other hand, in a relationship of “strong ties,” one can obtain emotional support, but on the other hand, the homogeneity of values ??increases, and it is easy to fall into a so-called dead end. Our relationships need both strong and weak ties.
When an extended telephone service called “Message Dial” was launched, it was originally supposed to be used only by those who shared IDs and passwords. did. We dared to create a place where an unspecified number of people can interact anonymously.
There were actually criminal acts that abused anonymity even on the message channel. Defamation and slander cannot be justified. However, it should be kept in mind that eliminating anonymity itself will also lead to narrowing the possibility of interacting with people.