Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent people from establishing anonymous profiles on Twitter.

Companies need to take responsibility for tackling abusive behaviour on their services, including taking steps to limit anonymised users abusing their services. However online anonymity is an important principle of a free and open internet and there are many legitimate reasons why an individual would not wish to identify themselves online - including to protect whistle-blowers and empower victims of modern slavery and domestic and sexual abuse. Globally, anonymity can be especially important for allowing human rights defenders and journalists to operate, especially within authoritarian regimes, without fear of undue reprisal and detention.