Live Online Book Forum 

# *The United States of Anonymous: How the First Amendment Shaped Online Speech*

Published By Cornell University Press • 2022 

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Date and Time 

June 30, 2022 1 - 3 PM EDT 

Location 

Live Online 

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##### Featuring 

![Jeff Kosseff cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2022-06/jeff-kosseff-cropped.jpg?itok=i1LzDUey) 

Jeff Kosseff 

Author and Non-Resident Senior Fellow, The Future of Free Speech

[![Thomas Berry](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-02/2025-10-16-Thomas%20Berry-sq_0.jpg?itok=SW7WagUw)](/people/thomas-berry) 

[Thomas A. Berry](/people/thomas-berry)

Director, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute

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](https://x.com/Thomas_A_Berry) [ 

](mailto:tberry@cato.org) 

![Emma Llanslo headshot](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2022-06/emma-llanslo.png?itok=95AXxWhh) 

Emma Llansó 

Director, Free Expression Project, Center for Democracy & Technology

[ 

](https://twitter.com/ellanslo) 

![Laura Jehl portrait](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2022-06/laura-jehl-cropped.jpg?itok=r8080wmE) 

Laura Jehl 

Cybersecurity and Privacy, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

[ 

](https://twitter.com/LauraEJehl) 

[![Patrick G. Eddington](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Patrick%20Eddington.jpg?itok=ddIWrIm5)](/people/patrick-g-eddington) 

[Patrick G. Eddington](/people/patrick-g-eddington)

Senior Fellow, Cato Institute

[ 

](https://x.com/pgeddington) [ 

](mailto:peddington@cato.org) 

Why did those opposed to or in favor of the Constitution write under pseudonyms? Why did Occupy Wall Street protestors wear Guy Fawkes masks? Why do so many people seek to maintain a level of anonymity in their online activities—including web surfing and posting on social media? In the debate over the right to conceal one’s identity versus the potential harms of anonymity, is it possible to strike a constitutionally sound balance? In his latest book, *The United States of Anonymous: How the First Amendment Shaped Online Speech*, Jeff Kosseff tackles these and other questions through primary-source research and interviews with participants in the debates, as well as through court cases that have shaped the current legal and political climate impacting anonymous speech and the First Amendment. Join us for a discussion about Jeff Kosseff’s timely new book.

![United States of Anonymous cover](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/promo_block_book_cover_1x/public/2022-06/united-states-of-anonymous.jpg?itok=6uz8YX9v) 

##### Featured Book 

### *[The United States of Anonymous: How the First Amendment Shaped Online Speech](https://www.amazon.com/United-States-Amendment-Shaped-Online/dp/1501762389?tag=catoinstitute-20)*

*The United States of Anonymous* features extensive and engaging interviews with people involved in the highest profile anonymity cases, as well as with those who have benefited from, and been harmed by, anonymous communications. Through these interviews, Kosseff explores how courts have protected anonymity for decades and, likewise, how law and technology have allowed individuals to control how much, if any, identifying information is associated with their communications.

[Purchase Book](https://www.amazon.com/United-States-Amendment-Shaped-Online/dp/1501762389?tag=catoinstitute-20) 

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This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).