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The ancient story of Spartacus offers a great example for better online anonymity


The Third Servile War was over. The slave army had been defeated, and their Roman captors offered the survivors a pardon. The only requirement was that they identify Spartacus, their leader (a sun-bronzed, cleft-chinned Kirk Douglas). Rather than give away his identity, however, each of them cried out “I’m Spartacus!”—thus preserving his anonymity. The Romans could not identify him; they could not discern which of the men standing before them had been the leader of the rebellion. (Spoiler alert: they all die as a result.) In short, their actions ensured a crucial part of Spartacus’ privacy—his right to be forgotten. The…

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