THE PARADOX OF ANONYMITY ON THE INTERNET AND THE PROBLEMS OF ITS LEGAL REGULATION

Abstract

The article analyzes the contemporary tendencies in the field of legal regulations of anonymity on the Internet, describes legal and organizational and technological problems of ensuring anonymity. The author analyzes the approaches to the users’ anonymity that were developed in the international law, legislation and judgments of various countries, including Russia. It is concluded that today the Internet does not provide the full anonymity and confidentiality. The anonymity in the Internet is relative and conditional. At the same time, governments of the various countries and global technological companies aim to provide the access to the maximum possible amount of data about the Internet users. However, despite this, the anonymity is still considered as an important legal guarantee of ensuring many human rights, including right for a name, inviolability of private life, privacy of correspondence, and free expression of opinions. In such conditions, the establishment of balance between anonymity and openness during Internet communications, as well as establishment of proper legal procedures to disclose the users data and effective court guarantee related to the disclosure of such data are the important direction of legal regulation.