Former West Yorkshire MP backs calls to stop social media giants allowing anonymous accounts

Paula Sherriff, who was targeted with thousands of violent threats while serving as Dewsbury MP, has spoken out in support of the comments made by a Government advisor as she reveals she still receives hate from anonymous accounts.

The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales expressed concerns that anonymous accounts are protecting perpetrators from being identified and prosecuted.

Dame Vera Baird QC said tech giants such as Twitter and Facebook should not allow people to sign up without providing accurate identifiable information.

It comes as the Yorkshire Evening Post's Call it Out campaign has shared real life stories of people in Leeds who have faced social media abuse in recent months.

The founder of the Black Lives Matter Leeds movement has been targeted with "horrifying" racism, while children in the city have had their lives devastated by online bullying.

Speaking following the completion of a report calling for a new law to transform victims’ rights in the justice system, Dame Vera said: “I think that getting rid of anonymity is fundamental to being able to enforce the law quite obviously.

“People sit at home with a funny name and say the most horrible thing, having quite a lot of pleasure because they can’t be found – that must be the point of it, mustn’t it, to do it without any comeback.

“It’s very unpleasant indeed and it’s imperative they be brought to justice.”

Last week, Twitter said it would not end the practice of allowing people to post from anonymous accounts, despite a series of high-profile sports stars receiving a slew of racist abuse on social media in recent weeks.

Dame Vera said people should not be prevented from using a pseudonym or humorous name, but said the user should have to provide identifying details when setting up an account which would mean they can be traced by the police should the need arise.

And Ms Sherriff, who still receives abusive messages from anonymous accounts, has backed Dame Vera's comments.

She said: "I absolutely agree with this and I can't believe it's taken this long. When I reflect on the amount of abuse I used to receive as an MP, I'm not sure how I coped with it.

"Not all of the abuse was from anonymous accounts, it was about 50/50. But it allows them to go further than perhaps they would have if they had known what they were writing was traceable."

Ms Sherriff shared a particularly frightening example she faced around three years ago, when she received violent threats while at a community awards event in Mirfield.

She said: "Somebody was tweeting me and private messaging me from an anonymous account, threatening violence.

"They said they could see me and described what I was wearing, then said they were going to come and smash a glass over my head.

"I had to tell the people on my table that I felt uncomfortable - sitting there and wondering if someone was going to attack you.

"In the end I worked out who it was and thankfully nothing happened, but that fear is in the context of Jo Cox being murdered."

Both Labour and Conservative MPs in West Yorkshire have expressed their safety fears in the wake of Jo Cox's murder in 2016.

Ms Sherriff said taking action to prevent social media users from posting anonymously was just one action which needs to form part of policy to crackdown on social media abuse.

She added: "There are lots of things that need to happen and the time has to be now. We can't procrastinate on this, because the ramifications are huge.

"For example, making misogyny a hate crime so people can be prosecuted. There's a huge element of misogyny going on with a lot of the abuse.

"We need to look at legislation and recognise the world that we're in today - social media is a significant part of communication and we have to move with the times.

"There's all sorts of factors we have to build in, but not doing anything can no longer be an option."

• The Call It Out campaign by the Yorkshire Evening Post was launched in July. It is sharing real-life experiences of people from all walks of life who have encountered abusive online behaviour and asking our readers to help play their part in reporting it to account admins, social media platforms and, where needed, the police. The campaign has also been highlighted by MP Holly Lynch in Parliament.