... sometimes led to simple untruths being published, giving rise to issues of defamation. Personal 'facts' have also been broadcast which, regardless of their truth, may infringe on the subject's privacy. These include, most obviously, comments on their sexuality. There are also 'larger' issues of relevance here, such as the use of online anonymity. The argument for the continuance of anonymity is a persuasive one. History has a multitude of examples of free speech against oppressive regimes made possible by its very anonymity. Examples today are plentiful, not only in China, and other obvious examples, but also in the US and UK. The problem emerges when this anonymity is abused, whether to public outcry with child pornography or in cases of copyright infringement. The cases dealt with specifically in this essay concentrate on defamation. With current public attention levelled at web-based mail systems, remailers, bulletin boards and the like, it is unfortunate that ...

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