A group messaging system enabling anonymous collective communications in a
group which is locally defined in association with a group owner's
messaging account, wherein messaging software at the group owner converts
a group message into multiple one-to-one group messages destined to each
group member in collaboration with the said group membership resolution
process. The invention further includes a group message reply process
wherein the messaging software at a recipient's side composes a reply
message and transmits it to the group owner messaging software which then
forwards it to the group members in collaboration with said group
membership resolution process, thereby providing a means of designating
the identity of a group in the group owner messaging account, sending a
group message, and hiding the identities of individual recipients during
the lifetime of the group message. The group owner side can additionally
perform access control for group communications.