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16 votes
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Carpet fibres delay or stop concrete cracking
7 votes -
Australia’s social media ban and why it's not cut and dry
Australia’s proposed social media ban is deeply concerning and authoritarian. It's disturbing to see how much of the general public supports this measure. Prominent organizations, including...
Australia’s proposed social media ban is deeply concerning and authoritarian. It's disturbing to see how much of the general public supports this measure.
Prominent organizations, including Amnesty International, the Australian Human Rights Commission, and Electronic Frontiers Australia, have voiced significant concerns about this legislation:
Amnesty International's Explanation of the Social Media Ban
Australian Human Rights Commission on the Proposed Social Media Ban for Under-16s
EFA's Critique of the Social Media Age BanAustralia has a troubling history with internet legislation. Noteworthy examples include the Australian Internet Firewall under Stephen Conroy and Malcolm Turnbull's infamous statement, "The laws of mathematics are very commendable, but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia," regarding encryption backdoors.
While I recognize the issues with social media, "don't feed the trolls," along with maintaining online anonymity and implementing parental controls ( no phones with unfettered internet access ), should work. This law indiscriminately punishes all Australians for the missteps of a few, potentially leading to increased identity theft through phone and email scams and causing older family who are not tech literate to lose connections with their families due to the complexities of government-issued tokens.
Adults will be the ones who are going to be most impacted by this legislation.
The scope of this law is extensive. The Online Safety website suggests that this is merely the beginning, with plans to cover the entire web, including games, adult content, and more. The consequences are profound: the erosion of true anonymity and increased risk to government whistle-blowers and journalistic sources.
Requiring individuals to provide their identity to a third party to access the internet, which many have used freely for decades, is alarming. It threatens to sanitize search results and revoke access to purchased games if users refuse additional identity verification measures. There are no grandfathered exceptions, highlighting the law's intent to de-anonymize the internet.
Although Australia lacks a constitutionally protected right to free speech, this law poses significant risks to whistleblowers and marginalized youth in remote communities. Instead of banning access and creating allure through prohibition, we should address the root causes of why younger people are drawn to such content.
Once entrenched in law, any opposition will be met with accusations of perversion or indifference to child safety, compounded by the spread of misinformation. We must critically assess and address these laws to protect our freedoms and privacy.
There wouldn't be speculation if they defined how they intend the law to work. Instead of a "don't worry about it we will work it out", give people something to say that's not so bad and I can live with it
15 votes -
Australian Parliament bans social media for under-16s with world-first law
61 votes -
Pendulum - Napalm (2024)
7 votes -
Second Australian teen dies in tainted alcohol case in Laos that has killed six tourists
15 votes -
World's largest renewable energy plant in Australia would be bigger than entire countries
11 votes -
Ennaria - Monstarrr (2024)
5 votes -
Pokémon FAST (free ad-supported television) channel launches on Pluto TV — US for now, to be followed by Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand
5 votes -
Taskmaster Australia Series 2, Episode 1 - 'Don't slip on the chips old man.'
9 votes -
Ukraine to receive aging Abrams tanks in latest Australian military aid package
19 votes -
Steam Deck shipping to Australia this November
32 votes -
Get me out of data hell
30 votes -
The Office (Australia) | Official trailer
20 votes -
FarfetchD & Def3 - Crossfire (2023)
4 votes -
Glass Beams - One Raga to a Disco Beat (Cover of 'Raga Bhairav' by Charanjit Singh, 2024)
6 votes -
Australians get 'right to disconnect' after working hours
46 votes -
Sphen, partner in Australian same-sex penguin couple, dies
17 votes -
Best Australian books of the 21st century, nominated by literary experts
3 votes -
Dogs sniff out invasive plants
7 votes -
12,000-year-old Aboriginal sticks may be evidence of the oldest known culturally transmitted ritual in the world
16 votes -
Jet Lag: AU$TRALIA | Trailer
29 votes -
Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the US, allowing him to go free
67 votes -
How to get your stuff repaired when the retailer and manufacturer don't wanna: take 'em to court
20 votes -
Ten mad bikes from Mad Max: Fury Road
7 votes -
Today is the UK courts decision day on Julian Assange's extradition to the US
30 votes -
Dune Rats - Melted Into Two (2022)
4 votes -
Fuel-guzzling ‘yank tanks’ face a costly future in Australia after new vehicle emissions changes approved
23 votes -
Google Cloud accidentally deletes UniSuper’s online account due to ‘unprecedented misconfiguration’
41 votes -
Australia’s budget airline Bonza cancels flights, stranding passengers
10 votes -
First Nations woman one of seven global winners of prestigious Goldman prize for environmental activism
9 votes -
Fifty years later, this Apollo-era antenna still talks to Voyager 2
14 votes -
Toehider - Wellgivit (2020)
2 votes -
Damien Guerot, who fought off Bondi Junction attacker with bollard, to be granted permanent Australia residency, lawyer says
13 votes -
Six people killed in stabbing attack at Sydney's Westfield Bondi Junction, offender shot dead by police officer
26 votes -
Taskmaster Australia | Season 1 complete playlist
9 votes -
Borders book store | Bankrupt
9 votes -
Show Tildes: mapping almost every law, regulation and case in Australia
14 votes -
Tom Cardy - Fruit Salad (2021)
21 votes -
Rooftop solar drives out coal, wind and grid-scale solar in Australia
21 votes -
Glass Beams - Mahal (2024, live)
4 votes -
How Australian undercover police ‘fed’ an autistic 13-year-old’s fixation with Islamic State
26 votes -
Magpies swoop bald men more often, eight-year-old's viral survey finds
34 votes