End social media anonymity to fight fakes, crime: Spain PM

DAVOS, Switzerland: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday proposed ending anonymity for social media users and forcing tech tycoons to provide accountability if their platforms “poison society”.

The Socialist premier has been an outspoken voice about the sector and his latest intervention comes as a fierce debate surrounding social media and their wealthy owners intensifies. Concern about conflicts of interest have surged after X owner Elon Musk, the world´s richest person, helped propel Donald Trump to a second term in the White House and waded into European politics.

Social media now has “huge downsides, hidden in the bowels of the algorithms like invaders concealed in the belly of a Trojan horse”, Sanchez said in English at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Sanchez said social media users must link their accounts to a form of ID to crack down on misinformation, hate speech, harassment and bots that proliferate under the cover of anonymity. All platforms should link every account to a “European digital identity wallet” to hold potential criminals responsible, he continued.