Ep. 264: Anonymity from the founding to the digital age

About this episode

The episode explores the history and significance of anonymity in American speech from the founding era to the digital age.

In the years leading up to the American Revolution, newspapers and pamphlets overflowed with essays signed "Publius," "Brutus," and "A Farmer." Those arguments helped shape a nation, but the authors' real names were nowhere to be found. Americans have long relied on anonymous speech to challenge the powerful, protect dissenters, and keep the focus on ideas rather than identities. That tradition has endured into America's digital age, even as anonymous speech has become more controversial. To explore America's history with anonymity, we are joined by Jeff Kosseff, a nonresident senior legal fellow at The Future of Free Speech and author of The United States of Anonymous . Preorder his forthcoming book, The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy's Most Essential Freedom . Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:01 What is anonymity? 04:38 Anonymous speech in Colonial America 15:58 Does the First Amendment protect anonymity? 20:35 Anonymous speech in the Civil Rights Era 31:17 The internet and anonymity 35:44 Modern anonymity debates: DHS subpoenas, age verification, social media regulation, and VPN bans 51:53 Outro Read the transcript here. Enjoy listening to the…

People in this episode

Guest: Jeff Kosseff

Topics covered

• anonymity
• free speech
• American Revolution
• digital age
• First Amendment
• Civil Rights Era
• modern debates

Keywords

• anonymity
• free speech
• First Amendment
• digital age
• Civil Rights
• anonymous speech
• DHS subpoenas
• social media regulation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Future of Free Speech

Books & works: The United States of Anonymous, The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy's Most Essential Freedom

More episodes of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

• Ep. 271: Minecraft, censorship, and threats to press freedom with Clayton Weimers · April 30, 2026 · 1h 4m
• FIRE Reacts: Comey, Kimmel, ABC & the FCC · April 29, 2026 · 54 min
• Ep. 270: The fight for privacy and free speech in the surveillance age · April 23, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Ep. 269: Is free speech declining worldwide? · April 10, 2026 · 54 min
• Ep. 268: News and misinformation in early America · April 3, 2026 · 57 min
• Ep. 267: Social media = cigarettes? · April 1, 2026 · 60 min