The tradition of anonymous speech is older than the United States . Founders Alexander Hamilton , James Madison , and John Jay wrote '' The Federalist Papers '' under the pseudonym " Publius " and " the Federal Farmer " spoke up in rebuttal . The US Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized rights to speak anonymously derived from the First Amendment . The pressure on anonymous communication has grown substantially after the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the subsequent new political climate . Although it is still difficult to oversee their exact implications , measures such as the US Patriot Act , the European Cybercrime Convention and the European Union rules on data retention are only few of the signs that the exercise of the right to the anonymous exchange of information is under substantial pressure
2001 terrorist attack
September 11 attacks
Anonymity