Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 23 March 2021.

---

Social Media: Offensive Material

Question

My Lords, this is not just a problem for famous people. If anything, it is a much more serious problem for members of the public. For example, mothers campaigning in Scotland to get schools reopened last year were attacked by

anonymous cybernats and their children were threatened via direct messages on Twitter. Twitter is a real problem here, but there is a very simple solution, which is for Twitter or the Government to ban anonymous accounts. That would stop the abuse, it would ensure that anybody who tries to be abusive or threatening can be prosecuted and it would be a simple measure for those running Twitter, given the scale of their operation now, to introduce. Will the Government call them in, insist on it and, if they will not do it themselves, do it for them?

Answer

The noble Lord is right to raise the issue of the general public and the troubling example that he just shared with the House. However, banning anonymous accounts is not as simple as he suggests. They provide important protection for a wide range of vulnerable people, as well as journalists’ sources and others—so these are complex issues that we aim to address through the Bill.

---

Secondary information

Type

Oral question

Reference

811 c725 

Session

2019-21

Oral question type

Supplementary

Chamber / Committee

House of Lords chamber

Subjects

Disclosure of information Harassment Social media

Link

View this Oral question on hansard.parliament.uk