The next Australian election is as much as a year away and already the foreign interference is starting. No surprises that the culprit is in Silicon Valley.
Dozens of Facebook users promoting pro-nuclear lobby group Nuclear for Australia’s content have had posts removed for being “misleading”, triggering claims some people are trying to “suppress vital information that could change the future of our country”.
Nuclear is shaping up to be a key election issue. Australians should be free to discuss its pros and cons.
Not if Zuckerberg has his way.
Months out from the federal election – in which nuclear will be a key issue – and after anti-nuclear groups had their content blocked or accounts temporarily deleted across social media platforms, Nuclear for Australia has received 44 complaints from supporters who have had posts taken down.
The users had shared a Nuclear for Australia petition to legalise nuclear energy and a video interview between the organisation’s founder, Will Shackel, and businessman Dick Smith supporting the energy source in June and July.
Meta are blaming ‘technical error’. Because of course they are.
Mr Shackel will email supporters on Wednesday asking for contributions to “help us bypass the roadblocks and bring the truth to light”.
“The truth about nuclear energy could transform Australia’s future but has been blocked from reaching the people who need to hear it most,” he says in a copy of the email.
“This isn’t just a minor inconvenience – it’s a clear indication of the political will of some to suppress vital information that could change the future of our country.”
For Dick Smith, it’s kinda personal: he’s had a long-running fight with Facebook over bots and fraudulent ads using his image.
“You end up with this situation where they let through fraudulent ads run by criminal gangs but at the same time they delete genuine posts,” Mr Smith said.
At the same time, groups like Renew Economy and the Australian Conservation Foundation also had posts removed and accounts suspended.
But Silicon Valley has nothing on the Albanese government when it comes to sheer hypocrisy.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Online Safety was examining the influence and impacts of social media on Australian society, including how digital platforms influenced what Australians saw and heard online.
“Digital platforms have a range of community standards, terms of service and policies to support the integrity of the information and accounts on their platforms,” she said.
“Debate on matters of public interest is a hallmark of our democracy.”
This, from the government that is trying to throttle free speech on the internet with its Orwellian “misinformation bill”.
You can’t make this stuff up.
