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The United States of Anonymous: How the First Amendment Shaped Online Speech

Published By Cornell University Press •
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Featuring
Jeff Kosseff cropped
Jeff Kosseff

Associate Professor of Cybersecurity Law, United States Naval Academy

Emma Llanslo headshot
Emma Llansó

Director, Free Expression Project, Center for Democracy & Technology

Laura Jehl portrait
Laura Jehl

Cybersecurity and Privacy, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Why did those opposed to or in favor of the Constitution write under pseudonyms? Why did Occupy Wall Street protestors wear Guy Fawkes masks? Why do so many people seek to maintain a level of anonymity in their online activities—including web surfing and posting on social media? In the debate over the right to conceal one’s identity versus the potential harms of anonymity, is it possible to strike a constitutionally sound balance? In his latest book, The United States of Anonymous: How the First Amendment Shaped Online Speech, Jeff Kosseff tackles these and other questions through primary-source research and interviews with participants in the debates, as well as through court cases that have shaped the current legal and political climate impacting anonymous speech and the First Amendment. Join us for a discussion about Jeff Kosseff’s timely new book.

United States of Anonymous cover
Featured Book

The United States of Anonymous: How the First Amendment Shaped Online Speech

The United States of Anonymous features extensive and engaging interviews with people involved in the highest profile anonymity cases, as well as with those who have benefited from, and been harmed by, anonymous communications. Through these interviews, Kosseff explores how courts have protected anonymity for decades and, likewise, how law and technology have allowed individuals to control how much, if any, identifying information is associated with their communications.