Greece’s government is advancing plans to restrict anonymity on social media.
Greece says this is aimed at tackling online abuse, but critics warn it will undermine privacy and free expression.
Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou said the proposal, which was under discussion for months and now being considered by the office of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, shall require platforms to verify the identity of users.
Speaking at the Delphi Economic Forum, Papastergiou framed the initiative as a return to accountability in public discourse.
“In ancient Greece, individuals expressed their views openly and under their own name,” he said, arguing that anonymity enables harassment and reputational attacks without consequences.
The government maintains that online political debate in Greece is frequently distorted by coordinated abuse and threats, often originating from anonymous or pseudonymous accounts. Authorities have also faced difficulties in identifying users suspected of breaking the law.
Deputy Prime Minister Pavlos Marinakis said the aim is not to eliminate pseudonyms outright, but to ensure that each account is tied to a real or verifiable individual.
He also suggested that such requirements could potentially extend beyond social media (whatever that means), though no concrete legislative proposal has yet been presented.
The plan comes as Greece approaches national elections in early 2027, with political campaigning already intensifying online.
However, the proposal raises significant practical and legal questions. Requiring identity verification across major platforms would involve complex technical changes and likely face resistance from companies whose business models rely on large-scale user engagement, including anonymous accounts.
More broadly, digital rights advocates have long argued that anonymity can serve as a safeguard for whistleblowers, journalists, and political dissidents, particularly in polarized environments. Any attempt to curtail it, they warn, risks chilling legitimate speech alongside abusive content.
Analysts note that meaningful enforcement would likely require coordination at the European Union level, where similar debates have repeatedly run up against privacy protections and freedom of expression concerns.
Greece to join the other countries that have opted for teen social media restriction
