Fake profiles on social media could become illegal

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Facebook has faced a great deal of criticism over its real names policy, and a number of people have fallen foul of the rule that prevents users from assuming a pseudonym. UK law enforcement agencies are looking for ways to tackle the problem of online abuse perpetrated by trolls.

Among the suggestions put forward by the Crown Prosecution Service is that people who use fake social media accounts to harass and abuse others should be prosecuted. The proposals would normally only apply to adults, but children could be hit by the legislation in certain circumstances as well.

Fake accounts can be used by abusers to lure victims into a false sense of security to set up a means of communication. Once contact has been established, trolls can hide behind a fake name in the belief that this will protect them against identification. The fake accounts can be used to not only abuse victims, but also to post embarrassing material such as revenge porn.

It's not just the likes of Facebook and Twitter that have a problem with fake names. So-called professional social network LinkedIn also suffers from the creation of fake profiles to harvest personal information from other users.

The CPS proposals have been put forward for a six-week consultation period, with the suggestion being that social media users could be prosecuted for using a fake ID to post upsetting or anxiety-causing messages. The trick will be to strike a balance between freedom of speech, and protecting the personal rights of individuals.

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