Anonymity should not be made synonymous with the hoods of the Internet and, in addition, those who report by hiding and pick up by revealing.
From the AI photos of the Italian prime minister, Georgia Meloni, to the fake news about Adonis Georgiadis and photo that made the rounds on the Internet targeting not just him, but his family as well, the crisis of misinformation raises issues, all the more so at a time when anonymity is the basis for the circulation and reproduction of all kinds of conspiracy theories, insults and character assassination.
Hate, bile, insults, slander and everything else one can think of are clearly aimed at creating and maintaining an extreme and toxic climate by conveying on and through the Internet an image that defies logic and especially the rules governing the normal functioning of a society, given its use for illegal acts.
Deepfakes entered our lives along with fake news and all kinds of theories. We experienced it as a country with the spanking, the allegedly lost wagons and before that with the “child rapists”, the vilification of persons, whether they are politicians, public officials or anyone who does not comply with the “will” of the Internet prosecutors who also act as judges by issuing convictions or even acquittals.
It is now a question of democracy, given that anonymity on the one hand and the development of technology on the other can influence political developments. In Europe, this has already become clear and it is no coincidence that on the issue of using AI technology to manipulate photos and videos, the European Parliament and EU member states reached an agreement a few days ago to ban the services artificial intelligence services that allow the creation of images of people without their consent as part of a decision to strengthen the protection of citizens’ privacy and dignity.
It’s a start, one might say. For yes, the importance of technology at all levels is recognised, but so is the need for rules rules that must also enter into a poorly understood freedom of speech and expression. Because yes, privacy must be protected, but the victims of hate, slander and all kinds of fake news must also be protected. Above all, citizens must be protected, especially in countries that are being targeted by third countries in order to control democracy and the will of peoples.
The crisis of misinformation is here. The proposal of Paul Marinakis is gaining momentum and is already being discussed, since anonymity cannot hide character assassinations. Giorgos Florides’ reference to the issue of anonymity and the need to take steps to protect others shows the need to deal with it seriously, without infringing on anyone’s freedom. Besides, this was preceded by a relevant reference by the Prime Minister.
This concerns liberal democracy, the adherents of the axiom that “one man’s freedom ends where another man’s freedom begins”, which at the end of the day is the axiom of the normal functioning of a society.
And one more thing. We must not allow anonymity to become synonymous with Internet hoods and, besides, those who denounce by hiding and pick up by revealing. For then the damage is already done…
*This article was published in the print edition of the Manifesto.
