In
a process that started decades ago, a multiplicity of forces is
creating a slow, but steadily rising storm against anonymity. Discourses
of transparency and accountability often describe anonymity as a
threat. Technologies such as the IP-address-based Internet, sensory
devices, and machine learning techniques further undermine anonymous
encounters. In an age of near ubiquitous surveillance, anonymity is
under attack. But what is at stake in such discourses and developments?
Based on the premise that anonymity is always socially productive and
always socially produced, this special issue draws attention to
anonymity as a social form that demands renewed attention. The
contributions explore its temporalities, its transformative powers, and
its entanglements with public spheres, property relations, and practices
of person making.
