You may recall some years ago, when section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act was being debated in federal parliament, George Brandis, the then Attorney General, saying that people have a right to be bigoted. Of course, he came under attack from the usual suspects. He was right then and it is right now. But what George forgot was the devolvement of our former robust open society into an inquisitorial epoch; where wrong speech is punished. It’s got worse since.
Up pops Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, threatening Twitter with a fine of $700,000 a day if it doesn’t come back within 28 days showing the steps it will take to prevent online “hate” on its platform. My calculations suggest that Twitter has about until 21 July. “We need accountability from these platforms and action to protect their users,” she reportedly said. Over to Elon Musk.
This threat to the Twittersphere was discussed on the Andrew Bolt show. Neither Bolt nor whoever he was chatting with at the time had heard of Ms Grant. I had. She has form. She has popped up before. At Davos in May 2022, when she said that we needed a “recalibration” of free speech. The latter-day Marxist members of the World Economic Forum loved it. People can’t be allowed to go around criticising Big Brother and his doings. I wrote about it here in passing.
As I understand, her day job is to prevent the online exploitation of children. A worthy endeavour. It’s when she’s moonlighting that it all goes wrong. It’s funny how inside some people is an urge to disallow speech that they don’t like? Not really, scolds came out in force during the prolonged and grotesque overreaction to Covid. They’re around, just quiescent most of the time. And, as we also discovered, Brownshirt and Stasi recruits would not be too hard to find either.
Hard on the heels of Ms Grant’s intention to save Australians from speech she doesn’t like on Twitter, we learnt of proposed federal legalisation to outlaw “misinformation” and “disinformation” on social media. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will be given powers, we are told, to hold digital platforms to account. To wit, to require them to submit codes of conduct and to fine them up to $2.75 million or two per cent of their global turnover, whichever is higher, if they breach such codes.
So what is misinformation? Apparently, information which is “unintentionally false, misleading, or deceptive.” And disinformation? That is, “misinformation intentionally disseminated to cause serious harm.”
All of this is part of our decline into a totalitarian future. Misinformation and disinformation can’t in general be objectively defined. They will be whatever the government of the day deems them to be. “Climate change” is the most egregious example of mis- and disinformation ever foisted on a gullible public. Yet its denial will no doubt fall under scrutiny of the ACMA. Watch out for compulsory smart meters and enforced power rationing, preparatory to selectively rationing dissidents; i.e., those spreading mis- and disinformation. Can’t happen here. Don’t bank on it.
Covid hysteria demanded that young healthy people get vaccinated or lose their livelihoods. Yet, vaccination posed more risks to young people than ever did the virus. But , no doubt saying so would have fallen under the scrutiny of the ACMA. And the Voice? Might not opposition in its various guises be at risk of causing serious harm to sensitive Aboriginal activists? I suspect it might. And worst of all perhaps. Claiming that women can’t have penes. Now, don’t tell me that that “disinformation” isn’t going to cause very serious harm to, well, “women” with penes.
I think Elon replied to Brown Shirt Hall monitor Juleeeeee with a smiling Pooo icon
More on the eSafety commissionerette, who seems keen to see just how much weight she can throw around.
https://quadrant.org.au/the-esafety-commissioners-big-tax-funded-eraser/
More interesting stuff coming soon.
Does this mean that we have to build alternative platforms as some groups are doing in the US?
What are the alternative platforms in Australia?
Can they evade the legislation if they are, for example, registered offshore?
Rafe
The solution will be paper based Samzidata, until private ownership of printers is banned.
The urge to fascism is deep seated within our “ruling” class.
Elon may be itching for a fight.
Unlike the HRC and Leak, Musk doesn’t give a shit about the process being the punishment.
I think some of these “show cause” edicts that Australian regulators send out should be tested in court as to their validity.
What is it about wealthy, Western middle-class female bureaucratic parasites who’ve never made anything, but who men have empowered to destroy the civilisation that men gave them?
It’s a weird incarnation of the modern phenomenon of shitting in one’s own nest — a power-drunk fantasy about personal psychosexual domination and forcing people they consider morally inferior to bend to your will.
This thread is a gold mine.
Fire away.
Julie Inman Grant is a dangerous fool.
What will the pollies do come re-election time?
Virtually everything they utter while in campaign mode is either a lie or dis/misinformation!
I doubt that much political advertising would meet the existing advertising standards. Thery will simply exempt themselves form the ambit of the law.
I could really get behind a Constitutional change to the effect that laws apply equally to politicians and public employees as they do the lowest worker and poorest pensioner in the nation.
.. They …. from …
Russell Brand’s latest on the emerging EU dystopia is very good.. as usual.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6iUVtx6Kmc
Do porn sites that are vey accessible to children feature any where,no of course not
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will be given powers, we are told, to hold digital platforms to account. To wit, to require them to submit codes of conduct and to fine them up to $2.75 million or two per cent of their global turnover, whichever is higher, if they breach such codes.
Hold onto your hat, Rafe…
the New Catallaxy Files is a digital media platform.
Great article Peter Smith.
A prime target for the new kittens and puppirs policy agenda.
Shut it down, harvest the organ of those employed there and direct all savings to the new “department of cute things/orphans/the little reef that could”.
Anyone who objects obviously has sexual congress with underaged donkeys and is beyond the pale, we will deplatform them.
Any ideas on where to emigrate to, someplace free from kakistocracy and people telling me what to do. Seriously, any ideas?
pretty much covers is
monty had better stop posting his misinformation here.
I was keen on Morocco until they went full COVIDiocy.
Pick a GOOD state in the US. NSW is the only sane State here in Australia. My pick is West Virginia and I’ve been umming and ahhing forever.
Morelia, Michoacan State, Mexico seems good,
Somewhere rural but not too far from Morelia after Northern WV would be my choice. Staying in Australia, ultimately, remote NSW with permanent water.
Dont say mean things about Monty, he may go away and we need him here as our token leftie to show how open-minded we are!
“Any ideas on where to emigrate to”
I would pick one of the Baltic states. Too small to fight over. and not big enough to pose a threat.
Pell is a pedophile.
Trump colluded with Russia.
Covid is a disease of the unvaccinated.
Renewables are the cheapest form of electricity.
Aboriginals lived in farming communities pre-1788.
Men can get pregnant.
All examples of disinformation. But of course, the government is exempt from this law.
Damon “I would pick one of the Baltic states.”
I have thought about that, but they all have such long standing aches to provoke and get revenge on Russia that I’m not sure they are thinking clearly.
Yes,they all suffered under the Soviet Regime (USSR), but today’s Russia is not the USSR.
They all have large Russian hereditary populations, that they hate, but who were moved there generations ago by the USSR, while half their populations were moved to god knows where.
So, who belongs?
Do I want to move somewhere that is cleary out to irritate as much as possible a superpower. Somewhere that has massive social problems with nearly half their population based on a different culture.
Recently, Latvia (pop. 2M) started to call up citizens to their Army .. which is tiny, but is part of the anti-Russia push.
Misguided, perhaps, but they are close at hand and easily swatted by Russia if a non-Ukraine punch up starts.
We’ll still have Turd Case.
Interesting comment about smart meters. Electricity meters at both are farm and our city abode miraculously became dysfunctional at the same time. The city meter was replaced with a smart meter. No choice in the matter for us. Fortunately, being in a remote area with no reliable phone/internet signal in the region of the farm meter we were able to have a normal meter, and not a “smart” meter installed.
If we continue to have anomalous readings of the meter at the farm we will disconnect entirely from the grid. Stuff them.
A state to emigrate to in UDA? Florida or some parts of Texas.
Just to give you an example of the arrogance of some of these female bureaucrats. The example is from private enterprise, but the flunkey is of the same bioform.
Husband was attempting to reinsure farm. Chose an insurance company from which to secure a quote. Received quote from an entirely different company. Inquiry to company was archly informed by some senior female that it was a human error! A human error??? Turns out that the parent company has many offshoots. Operator “pushed the wrong button”. Seriously. Husband insisted that this was akin to “passing off” which was hotly denied by said female – again very superciliously.
The point is, that irrespective of the corporate setup, the customer has the right to be duly informed. The female bureaucrat pretty much hotly resisted admitting this minor detail.
Scourge of the earth.
Government lies not exempt from community notes on Twitter. As Biden found out.
By 2030 NewCatallaxy will be rolled out on an old Gestetner copier and slipped under your front door in the middle of the night by a black clothed bicycle rider.
“Yes, they all suffered under the Soviet Regime (USSR), but today’s Russia is not the USSR.”
Indeed, there are some, even here, who try and paint Russia in 2023 as “communist” and Putin as some kind of Stalin. Both portraits are ridiculous.
And it’s funny you mention this, because I’ve been thinking about something all day. This morning I watched the latest PJW Youtube video of what’s happening in France. It isn’t pretty viewing. And apparently the Polish PM has put out a video comparing peaceful Poland to a burning violence ridden France. We all know why France is currently burning, and the Polish PM knows why too, and he hints at why in his video. It’s because of unfettered immigration from cultures that don’t and never will assimilate. The reason why I mention this is because the EU and countries in Western Europe, such as France, Belgian, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, are sanctimoniously and arrogantly censoring and applying a lot of pressure on Eastern European countries such as Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic. Why? Because they are demanding that Eastern European countries increase immigration from Africa and the Middle East, and they are demanding that Eastern Europe adopt the LGBTQI+ indoctrination now de rigueur in the West. In other words, the EU and Western Europe want Eastern Europe to follow in their footsteps and commit cultural and social suicide. Western Europe is no friend to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Serbia and so on. So far Eastern European countries are saying NO to this suicide request but for how long? I think Eastern Europe must move on from its historical dislike and wariness of Russia and try to realign because membership of the EU is not the golden carrot it was once thought to be, and many in Eastern Europe are now waking up to this stark reality.
Gerard Henderson made that claim on his Media Watch blog, which raised eyebrows from me.
Lee
Given the open links between the Russian government and oligarchs, surely they are closer to fascism than communism?
Agreed, John.
Many modern lefties go along with the corporation/Big Tech/government matrix, especially with regard to wokeism. Not to mention the censorship of dissent.
That is historically fascism, not what the left pretends to be fascistic, such as being supportive of free speech.
Henderson also has trouble recognising fascism. Thinks it is right wing instead of just another version of collective State power over the little guy. Like all left wing ideologies, they hate each other as the splitters they are, but in the essentials the State’s rights usurp those of the individual.
“Given the open links between the Russian government and oligarchs, surely they are closer to fascism than communism?”
Hmm…yes, sort of, although Putin more closely resembles a modern day tsar, and Russian oligarchs are more akin to the old Russian aristocracy.
“Gerard Henderson made that claim on his Media Watch blog, which raised eyebrows from me.”
Whilst I have a lot of time for Henderson, the sad thing is that there is nobody in the Australian media willing to step outside the box on the Russia Ukraine war. The closest has been Bernardi on Sky, and even he is circumspect about what he says.
I have a lot of time for Hendo, I have zero time for Andrew Blot. As afar as I’m concerned, Blot, be it on Ukraine, Gladys, Latham, and almost everything else, is a rambling incoherent, and very embarrassing dolt.
I can understand that, given that even asking why there aren’t any attempts at peace negotiations can earn you a pile-on, or even accusations of being a “Putin-lover.”
Just ask Tucker Carlson.
It may even have cost him his job.
Cassaria – No 30
Prior to this, the counties that were part of the Austro Hungarian empire were looking at setting up their own economic bloc – inc Poland.
This was a 100 million market based on the size of Ukraine and Poland.
This was a nice ideal. The wages lower than Western Europe could have attracted a lot of industry, raised living standards while adhering to their Christian values with no immigration or Ott homosexual push.
These countries were finding the demand of the EU detremential to their economies and socially to their populations.
Cassaria – No 30
Prior to this, the counties that were part of the Austro Hungarian empire were looking at setting up their own economic bloc – inc Poland.
This was a 100 million market based on the size of Ukraine and Poland.
This was a nice ideal. The wages lower than Western Europe could have attracted a lot of industry, raised living standards while adhering to their Christian values with no immigration or Ott homosexual push.
These countries were finding the demand of the EU detremential to their economies and socially to their populations.
“Perth to be a deserted metropolis, Sydney three years behind and even the rains that fall will evaporate on the ground”.
Yes, I look forward to this charlatan getting the treatment.
Could be a long wait.
Government’s long-term objective is the destruction of freedom of thought and all means of expression of that thought. Incidentally, what is the attitude of the Green’s to this bill for an expanded ACMA?
Government will be exempt from this law for censorship. That is, disinformation and misinformation by government will receive automatic sanction. Let’s try SA Health. Weekly reports give the numbers who have died courtesy of Covid-19. Typically they are elderly. Now try to search within the webpages of SA Health for Ivermectin. Nothing. So, why does SA Health—and local media with it—not wonder about the efficacy of Ivermectin (especially with Vitamin D and zinc)? Because having laws for “death with dignity” they have begun to accustom the public to a regime of (more or less) enforced euthanasia of the elderly. And in this relatively modest way it becomes—has become—legitimate. Disinformation?
Somehow, I don’t think trolls such as Boambee John, Dot and Cassie From Sydney, among others, have much to fear about a knock on the door at midnight from Julie Inman Grant and her Commissars.