11 Celebrities Who Were Driven Off Twitter

11 Celebrities Who Were Driven Off Twitter

Beyond The Ballot is The Huffington Post UK's alternative take on the General Election, taking on the issues too awkward for Westminster. It focuses on the unanswered questions around internet freedom, mental health and housing. Election news, blogs, polls and predictions are combined with in-depth coverage of our three issues including roundtable debates, MP interviews and analysis

When a high profile celebrity like Sue Perkins quits Twitter because of bullying and threats, many will put it down to being a pitfall of fame.

Perkins, who had been the bookies' favourite to replace Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear, said she had been forced off the site by trolls. "Someone suggested they'd like to see me burn to death," Perkins tweeted.

But it's an issue unrestricted to celebrities, ChildLine has had calls from more than 4,500 children bullied off social media by online hate.

It's an issue absent from political debate and manifestos, with under-resourced police usually unable or unwilling to do the legwork involved in finding perpetrators, and vague laws governing what counts as threatening behaviour online.

Prominent trolling victim Nicola Brookes told HuffPost UK's Digital Deficit round table that police had advised her to close down her account, something Index on Censorship's chief executive Jodie Ginsberg said was "restricting [Brooke's] fundamental right to free expression".

These are the celebrities who have chosen to "self-censor" by closing down their social media permanently or temporarily. Will this election campaign address ways to tackle online bullying, without shutting down social media as the only solution?

Zelda Williams

10 Celebrities Who Had To Quit Twitter

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