We all know trolling and fake profiles are a problem on social media. Caitriona Balfe has signed a petition designed to combat those problems.
If there’s one thing we know, it’s that social media is a problem. It does have its benefits, but there’s no doubt that all those fake profiles out there are an issue. We’ve seen a lot of them within the Outlander fandom, especially when it comes to some of the men on the series. Sam Heughan’s social media profile is routinely faked by scammers.
On top of that, there’s the problem with trolls. People create fake or anonymous profiles purely to intentionally hurt other people. They spit out their hurtful words looking to get a rise out of people.
Outlander actress Caitriona Balfe has signed a petition in an attempt to combat that. Of course, there are some flaws with the issue, and that’s come up for debate.
Petition: Make verified ID a requirement for opening a social media account. https://t.co/5bPZt8e0Ur
— Caitríona Balfe (@caitrionambalfe) July 13, 2021
Caitriona Balfe wants to end fake profiles on social media
The petition is one to make verified ID as a necessity to open a social media account. She is one of more than 600,000 people so far to sign the petition. It only needed 100,000 signatures for it to be heard by the UK Government, which suggests that this is an important topic for people.
Wouldn’t this prevent people under 18 getting an account, though? After all, it can be troublesome to get verified ID under 18. Well, under 16 in the UK! The petition states a parent or guardian would need to provide their ID when it comes to people under 18.
The aim is to protect individuals from trolls and anonymous attacks. It’s time to make people accountable for the things they say and do online.
However, there are debates about this. Not everyone has verified ID. Passports can be expensive and time-consuming to get, and not everyone will have a driving license. The UK also doesn’t have ID cards that are compulsory. There would likely be a way around doing something like this to verify a person’s identity.
There would also need to be something in place to protect people fleeing domestic violence. They may still want to be on social media to keep in touch with other friends they can trust or family members they have had to leave behind. However, they’ll want to keep their location a secret from their abuser, and it’s not fair to punish the victim.
It’s a worthwhile petition to sign and something that is important for celebrities who have found themselves victims of fake profiles.