ONLINE  anonymity is needed for some groups as it offers them space to engage in political discussions, said a panelist at a forum on social media.

Gayathry S. Venkiteswaran, an assistant professor in the faculty of arts at the University of Nottingham Malaysia said anonymity enabled people to speak freely online.

“There are many people who are unable to gather to speak freely, openly, because of their identities, political position, gender identities and so on.

“And I think anonymity affords them some space to be able to engage in some forms of political discussion and representation.”

She said anonymity also ensures one’s safety and security, which is an important factor to be recognised.

“There are groups of individuals who, due to their identities or political positions, sometimes need (anonymity) to be able to discuss these issues in ways that are safe and secure. And sometimes, the exposure of their identities could put them at risk, so it could be from the state or non-state actors.

“It’s actually quite important when you have a presence online that you could still maintain some level of anonymity so you can still engage,” she said.

Gayathry also said that anonymity became an issue when crimes were committed through it, and she stressed that anonymity was not a problem on its own.

“I think we shouldn’t be too quick to say that anonymity is a problem on its own, it should be linked to an act of crime.

“We have to be very careful with saying anonymity is a problem, as I think a lot of people use it for engagement,” she said adding that it should be distinguished between those who are doing it for criminal purposes and those who engage on political discussions under anonymity.

Another panellist, lawyer Nizam Bashir said anonymity is a matter of preference for some groups or individuals.

“As a matter of law, in some jurisdictions, I would have to say there have been some cases where it (anonymity) is considered to be part and parcel of the freedom of expression, particularly in the United States,” he added. – December 14, 2017.