Have you, or anyone you know, been subject to online harassment before?

Even if the answer is no, chances are you have witnessed such behaviour online in some way.

In today’s tumultuous political and social climate, it is more important than ever to hold individuals who spread hate online accountable. If you agree, we the students and staff in the UWA unit LAWS3316 Law and Social Change (under the guidance of unit coordinator, Associate Professor Marilyn Bromberg ("M"), request your help to ask the Western Australian Government to make important changes to the current legislative framework to restrict anonymous profile settings on social media accounts who engage in harmful behaviour online. 

In July 2026, the then Allan government of Victoria proposed new laws that would grant “demasking” powers to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal which would force social media companies to reveal the identities of anonymous users who have breached Victoria's anti-vilification laws, opening a path for legal action.

The government has the opportunity to be a world leader in holding “keyboard warriors” to account for their negative online behaviours. Therefore, we call on the Western Australian Government to introduce legislation that will provide powers to state actors to “demask” online users (so their identities are revealed).

Thank you for reading our petition, we hope we can count on your support in our fight to end anonymity online!

Please follow us on instagram at @hatredunmasked