A picture of the ABC website report

The Stephanie Borys from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports comments by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison:

Scott Morrison today described social media as a “coward’s palace” that allowed people to write foul and offensive comments with no repercussions.

“Cowards who go anonymously onto social media and vilify people and harass them and bully them, and engage in defamatory statements, they need to be responsible for what they’re saying,” he said.

“I can’t come out here and you can’t come here and start doing things like that … we’re responsible for the things we say and do.”

Social media a ‘coward’s palace’, says Prime Minister, as he promises more action to hold online abusers responsible

Morrison is right. Anonymous cowards should have skin in the game – they need to be held responsible for the obviously defamatory and obviously vilifying things that they say.

Michael Josem is a long-term consumer advocate, most prominently as a global leader in combating fraud in the online gambling industry. He was in part the inspiration for the 20th Century Fox Movie, Runner Runner, starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.

Josem has over a decade of experience as a senior business leader working across various high-tech and online industries, and takes action to build a better community. His primary volunteer roles include service for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and Graih, the homelessness charity.