Cole Stryker takes on Web anonymity and identity

Hidden below the glossy surface of the Internet lies an illegal market for child pornography, professional assassin services, and drugs—a seedy realm where digital Bitcoins are prefered method of payment and complex routing systems like Tor mask users’ identities.

But for all the murkiness of the so-called deep Web, where much of this activity takes place, there are numerous arguments for people retaining privacy online.

“It would be great to have a manifesto, especially right now—in the wake of the anti-SOPA, PIPA, ACTA movement—to codify why anonymity is important and why it’s worth fighting for,” Cole Stryker, an acclaimed media consultant, told the Daily Dot.

In fact, his new book, Hacking the Future: Privacy, Identity, and Anonymity on the Web, could be seen as that manifesto.

The 28-year-old author makes a compelling case for anonymity (and pseudonymity) using dozens of real-life case studies: A rape victim seeking support while not wanting anyone from her social circle to read the details of her ordeal; a middle-aged man who’s into collecting dolls and doesn’t want his coworkers to know; a woman looking for a new job without wanting her current boss to find out.
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