Greece Moves to Curb Online Anonymity

The Greek government is moving forward with plans to limit anonymity on social media in an effort to curb the rise in toxic online communication, Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said.

“In ancient Greece, everyone could express their opinion openly and by name – they would raise their hand and share their view. This should inspire us as we shape a new digital democracy”, the minister said on the sidelines of the Delphi Economic Forum.

The proposal has been under discussion for several months within the office of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Greece is due to hold parliamentary elections in early 2027, and the political campaign is already beginning to take shape.

According to the government, political debate on social media frequently deteriorates into coordinated harassment, misinformation, threats and hate speech by anonymous users. In some cases, law enforcement authorities have been unable to identify those responsible.

Papastergiou argued that anonymity encourages such behaviour by allowing individuals to damage others’ reputations without consequences. The government wants platforms to verify user identities, while still allowing pseudonyms, provided they are linked to a real person.

(euractiv, bak)