Anonymous

Anonymity is derived from the Greek word anonymia (ἀνωνυμία), for "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, "anonymous" is used to describe situations where the acting person's name is unknown. Some writers have argued that namelessness, though technically correct, does not capture what is more centrally at stake in contexts of anonymity. The important idea here is that a person be unidentifiable, unreachable, or untraceable. Anonymity is seen as a technique, or a way of realizing, certain other values, such as privacy, or liberty.