ANONYMOUS Twitter accounts are responsible for 'disproportionate' amount of Coronavirus disinformation, a new report has found.

The research, commissioned by campaign group Clean Up The Internet, looked at one million tweets from 285,000 UK accounts.

Published this week, the report found particular between unnamed accounts and the conspiracy theory that 5G networks are related to the disease.

They were also found to have been promoting conspiracies about 5G and Covid-19 five times more often than authentic, named, accounts.

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The report has added to the growing sense of frustration with Twitter among MPs, with John Nicolson, SNP MP confronting the platform's policy chief Nick Pickles, about the link between anonymity and disinformation, and the abuse of minorities on the platform.

Mr Pickles said there was "no evidence" of the problem during the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport(DCMS) committee last week.

Today Mr Nicolson raised concerns about the issue with the head of Ofcom, who said there were serious discussions to be had about fines for social media firms which breach Online Harms laws.

Dame Melanie Dawes, chief executive of the telecoms regulator said anonymity online was " a really important area and one where transparency at the moment is not good enough." and added: "We need to be able to expose the patterns and understand precisely what that link is between anonymity and harm."

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Following today's committee, Mr Nicolson said: "Clean Up The Internet's new research confirms what we've long suspected - anonymity on social media fuels harmful behaviour.

"If platforms are serious about reducing the amount of vile abuse and dangerous misinformation on their platforms, they need to stop pretending anonymity isn't a problem. It's time for Twitter to stop pleading ignorance and start offering solutions "

Stephen Kinsella, Founder of Clean up the Internet, which commissioned the research, said: "It's time for social media companies to take concerted action to rein in abuse of anonymity on their platforms - because right now it is a major risk factor in the spread of dangerous, false information.

"Twitter have been in denial about anonymity for too long. If the companies won't act, the government should step in and force them to".