Anonymity is the root cause of online harassment, disinformation, and coordinated abuse. When people can hide behind fake accounts without consequences, they say things they'd never say face-to-face. Requiring real identity verification would force accountability, reduce trolling and hate speech, and make platforms safer—especially for vulnerable groups. The internet worked fine before anonymity became the default.
Requiring real identity would be a surveillance nightmare that destroys privacy and silences dissent. Activists, journalists, LGBTQ+ people, and political opponents of authoritarian regimes depend on anonymity to speak freely without persecution. Removing it won't fix toxicity—it'll just shift abuse to different platforms and create a chilling effect where only the powerful can safely participate online. The problem isn't anonymity; it's poor moderation and lack of consequences for bad actors.
Should social media require Aadhaar verification before allowing an account?
Should the U.S. require a national ID to vote?
