Why banning anonymous accounts online won't work — and Succession's beautiful flaw

THERE is little that links the killing of MP Sir David Amess by a suspected terrorist to the behaviour of anonymous accounts online.

- Martha Gil

Yet this is where the attention of policy makers has turned. The Prime Minister is now being lobbied by MPs to introduce “David’s Law”, which would ban anonymity on social media. Priti Patel has said in response that she wants to make some “big changes” on abuse and anonymity, and Dominic Raab has echoed her.

You can see why MPs, who are understandably feeling vulnerable — and who receive a daily truckload of online abuse — might want to head in this direction. But it’s a very bad idea.

The first thing to say is that not all anonymous accounts are trolls. In fact, some serve a very important social role. In oppressive regimes, anonymity is the only thing that permits the work of journalists and pro-democracy campaigners. (It’s not hard to imagine this new UK law being eagerly taken up by foreign autocracies, for very different reasons).