One of the biggest powers behind anonymity on the web is Anonymous. On this video, the founder of 4chan, Christopher “m00t” Poole, makes a case for the power of anonymity.

In the middle to late nineties, anonymity on the web was a foregone conclusion. Screen names, multiple personae – there was no way to take an accurate census of the web. In fact, there still isn’t. Anonymity is an interesting trade – we give up a number of the things that make us who we are (our identity, if not our demeanour, as well as our personal network) and gain the “everyone could be a murderer” power over those we need to communicate with. In essence, we trade clout for threat – or, perhaps, we trade the possibility of personal repercussions for a unique kind of agility and nomadic freedom.

If you can’t see the video, See m00t’s address on TED Talks.

What are your thoughts on anonymity?