Internet harassment or cyberbullying happens all the time as offenders believe that it is difficult for regulatory authorities to trace them, especially when they use fake accounts.
In an attempt to help curb online abuse, Katie Price has launched a petition to make verified IDs a legal requirement for people who want to create a social media account, and the campaign has received more than 140,000 signatures as of this writing.
“Make it a legal requirement when opening a new social media account, to provide a verified form of ID,” the petition reads.
“Where the account belongs to a person under the age of 18 verify the account with the ID of a parent/guardian, to prevent anonymised harmful activity, providing traceability if an offence occurs.”
Katie Price explained the petition and wrote: “My son Harvey is disabled. He is also the kind and gentle son of a person regularly in the public eye. The Online Harms Bill doesn’t go far enough in making online abuse a specific criminal offence and doing what ‘Harvey’s Law’ intended.”
She continued: “To make the law work needs the removal of anonymity to ensure that users cannot cause harm by using online platforms to abuse others.
“Where an offence has taken place they ought to be easily identified and reported to the police and punished.
“We have experienced the worst kind of abuse towards my disabled son and want to make sure that no one can hide behind their crime.”
Many people supported the idea, with one person commenting: “Congratulations katie its a great campaign. Hope Harvey’s law passes soon.”
Another wrote: “Signed! Well done @KatiePrice on being at the forefront of protecting people and especially children from unnecessary and unwarranted online abuse. Keep up the good work.”
A third said: “Great news, have signed.”
Despite getting thousands of signatures, some people claim it could be ‘extremely harmful’ especially to people in the LGBTQ+ community.
One Twitter user wrote: “Katie, your proposal is at 126k signatures, and you’re talking about a real, social issue; but your proposal to “card everyone” will isolate teens, closeted LGBTQ people, & those without paperwork. Surely you don’t want that? Plus: VPNs will defeat it. It won’t stop abuse.”
Another said: “oh well done katie tons of lgbtq+ youth will be outed and potentially lives ruined if this passes. silly silly idea.”
A third commented: “this is such a threat you dont even understand.”
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Replaced!