The Privacy Interest in Anonymous Blogging

Abstract

Privacy interests in blogging are often dismissed on the basis that blogging is a public, rather than a private, activity. This paper argues that recovering the privacy dimension of anonymous speech on the internet requires the abandonment of the simple language of public and private spheres in favour of an approach that focuses on audience segregation. Audience segregation helps to protect the conditions under which we present ourselves to others by insulating us from the unwanted reactions of our unintended audiences.

Keywords: privacy, anonymity, audience segregation, blogging