Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, has suggested a blockchain-powered ID solution could help tackle cyber abuse and trolling while allowing users to maintain a level of anonymity.
Inman Grant worked at Microsoft during the 1990s and was involved in shaping the controversial Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in the US, which provides social media companies with immunity from liability for user content.
It has been reported by media outlet The Sydney Morning Herald that Grant said that while anonymity was beneficial for general online use, people hiding behind anonymity online to harm others remained a big problem in society.
However, she said that blockchain-powered digital IDs could help strike a balance by hiding user’s details unless requested by law enforcement.
Blockchain-based digital ID is being touted by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner as a potential solution to social media abuse and trolling https://t.co/jhhdqYnkiu — Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) January 28, 2021
Inman Grant stated:
“There’s more that they can do in terms of their intellectual capability, their access to advanced technology, their vast financial resources, to come up with better systems to identify who’s on their platforms and violating their terms of service.”
The report said that Facebook and Twitter’s decision to deplatform former US President Donald Trump after the riots on the US Capitol highlighted the difficulties social media companies face in balancing the desire to protect the public from harmful content while allowing freedom of expression and opinion.
Thus, blockchain-based pseudonymity could play a part in helping users feel comfortable expressing themselves while enabling the authorities to take action against users inciting violence or harassing others.
Source: Cointelegraph