Attention Iranian Bloggers: The First Steps in Anonymizing Your Blog

Committee to Protect Bloggers:

After extensive discussions on the Anoniblogging group mailing list, the Anoniblog Roundtable at BlogNashville and online chats hosted by CitizenLab, a tentative consensus has been reached regarding a couple of issues related to blogging anonymously. READ MORE

1. There is no such thing as a sure thing. If you blog, you may be discovered.

2. You must determine what level of anonymizing is necessary for your situation (who you are, what you write about, what country you write in) and attempt to match your needs to the methods that are available. (See the links to anonymous blogging guides in the sidebar.)

3. Never write your name or use any details that would indicate who you are, such as where you live or what you do for a living. Many of the people currently in jail for blogging were discovered because they used their real name. You may feel that in order to stand up for what you believe you must use your real name. So be it. That is your choice. But it will be easy to find you, should the authorities desire it, and a lot can be accomplished without divulging your identity.

4. One of the most effective blog filters is the informer. Tell as few people about your blog as possible. Ideally, tell no one. The goal is to make it impossible to match you the individual to you the blogger. Be extremely careful if you update your blog at a cybercafe. Best to do it out of the sight of prying eyes if at all possible.