London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

550k Brits sign petition for verified ID from social-media users as public debates whether it’ll curb racist abuse of footballers

550k Brits sign petition for verified ID from social-media users as public debates whether it’ll curb racist abuse of footballers

A petition to make verified ID a legal requirement for opening social media accounts has received more than half a million signatures, reigniting debate around social media censorship after racist abuse towards England players.

An official petition, started by former glamour model and TV star Katie Price in March 2021, went viral on Monday, as thousands of Britons signed and shared the online appeal calling for anonymity to be forbidden when opening social media accounts. The 43-year-old cites her disabled son, Harvey, and her first-hand experience of the horrific abuse he’d received as the catalyst for starting the petition.

Price’s petition says it should be mandatory for a social media firm to require verified ID for those opening an account on their platform, and that under-18s would need the ID of a parent or guardian.

In May, the government responded to the petition, stating User ID verification could “disproportionately impact vulnerable users and interfere with freedom of expression.” The government added that such a law could increase risks and harm to whistle-blowers and journalists alike while adding that, also, as many as 3.5 million Britons don’t have access to ID. However, new signatures to Price’s petition flooded in this week following a vile spate of abuse, some of it racist, levelled at England’s football team, who narrowly lost the Euro 2020 cup final on penalties with Italy, on Sunday evening.

Resharing her petition on Monday, Price said it’s “more important than ever” to make a change.


The post and petition went viral on Twitter, Instagram and other social platforms, shared by many notable and 'blue ticked' individuals. Online personality Joe Weller called on his 1.4 million Twitter followers to “SIGN THIS. HELP MAKE THE CHANGE.”

While infamous Manchester United fan and youtuber Mark Goldbridge wrote “Social media is lawless and damages lives. Sign the petition and demand change.”

Others further amplified the call, with football club Bemerton Heath Harlequins FC claiming there are “far too many keyboard warriors out there.”

Some people said they couldn't believe this wasn't already a law, citing the "sickening" online abuse directed at England players following the Euro 2020 game on Sunday. Podcaster and businessman Steve Bartlett agreed, claiming that ID verification would solve the racism problem.

However, many people, perhaps understandably, weren't keen on the proposed law, slamming the notion of censorship and the limiting of freedoms. Some were shocked that people would willingly subject themselves to more “self-censorship.”

“The UK police already track down and ruin the lives of people for things they say on twitter – no matter how tame it is,” one person wrote, adding that people will be too afraid to speak out against the dominant narrative for fear of repercussions. In May, police arrested 12 men in England and Wales after a Tottenham footballer received a barrage of racist abuse from anonymous accounts on Twitter.

Another user also pointed out the hypocrisy of the petition’s proposed move, noting that people will “hate on China and the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) but in the same breath sign a petition for mandatory ID on social media.”

Others said they would never hand over their personal information to social media firms as they didn't know what they would be doing with all their data. One person slammed the “reactionary” nature of British society, while another questioned how such a move could challenge the “structural racism” that allegedly exists in the UK.

The idea was also labelled a "well-intentioned but unenforceable and dangerous idea" by columnist Adam Crafton.


The spate of abuse stemming from England’s Euro 2020 loss, and notably the racist abuse levelled against three black players who missed penalties, has been accompanied by concerning reports of ethnically motivated attacks in the UK.

The online abuse comes after a year of hard-fought campaigning to introduce anti-racism and the association with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The movement, which also saw football players take the knee before games, mirroring acts originating in the US, while broadly supported, aggravated many in the country who have rejected the incorporation of politics into sport. Reports on social media accounts, while still unconfirmed, suggest black people have been targeted since England’s football defeat.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×