Tag Archives: regulation of social media

By any measure, opening a bank account in the United Kingdom is a serious business. You prove who you are, where you live, and pass security checks designed to stop fraud and protect the public. Yet on social media—platforms that shape elections, fuel abuse, and influence our children—anyone can appear with a fake name, no identity, and no accountability.

It’s an absurd imbalance, and rather than ban people from social media, it’s time we corrected it.

If we were to apply the same identity-verification rules used by UK banks to the creation of social media accounts it would be a long-overdue step toward basic digital responsibility—one that would reduce fraud, curb anonymous abuse, and help law enforcement respond to real threats. 

Banks don’t demand ID to be nosy – they do it to keep the system safe. The same logic applies online. Social media has become a place where anonymous accounts can target individuals, spread disinformation, or commit fraud with near-zero risk.

A system could be established where users would verify their identity using a government-issued document, proof of address, and a simple biometric check—just as they would at a bank. Crucially, this doesn’t mean everyone must post under their real name. Pseudonyms and anonymity in public spaces would remain. But behind the scenes, platforms would be required to know who is using their services, and to share that information with law enforcement when legally required.

Some might argue that such a policy could harm people without standard documents. But there are alternative verification pathways—through trusted charities, local authorities, schools or emerging digital-identity schemes. The intent is not exclusion, but protection.

Victims of online harassment know the pain of being attacked by nameless profiles. This policy would give those victims something they rarely get today: a real route to justice.