A recent issue of PC Magazine noted that the organization Reporters Without Borders has released a Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents. The free handbook is intended to help those who want to get a message out, but face persecution if caught divulging unflattering information:

Bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. Only they provide independent news, at the risk of displeasing the government and sometimes courting arrest.

Reporters Without Borders has produced this handbook to help them, with handy tips and technical advice on how to to remain anonymous and to get round censorship, by choosing the most suitable method for each situation.

While Reporters Without Borders undoubtedly has the best intentions, I imagine that the same methods of ensuring anonymity could be used by character assassins who want to slander others without fear of reprisal. Isn’t that always the way with powerful tools? They can be used for great good or great harm.