Twitter Says Any Move By Australia To Ban Anonymous Accounts Would Not Reduce Abuse

Any move by the Australian government to crack down on anonymous accounts on Twitter would be ineffective and fail to reduce the amount of abuse on the platform, the social media firm has said.

Last month prime minister Scott Morrison decried the “coward’s palace” of social media, and threatened more regulation of the companies in response.

Kara Hinesley, public policy director for Twitter in Australia and New Zealand, told a panel on online anonymity on Friday that banning anonymous accounts would stifle speech for vulnerable people who need to remain anonymous online. She said it would also prove to be ineffective, and would not reduce the amount of abuse.