Digital Rights Watch welcomes the opportunity to submit comments to the Standing Committee on Petitions regarding the inquiry into the standing orders relating to petitions. Petitions are a key way for individual Australians to participate in democratic processes. It is essential that they remain accessible to all and do not pose a threat to the privacy of signatories.
If you’re not familiar with the surveillance giant Palantir, you should - because they already know plenty about you.
Primarily a defence contractor, Palantir Technologies specialises in data integration and surveillance analytics.
The Internet Search Engine Services Online Safety Code is another tranche of policy that bars young people accessing ‘harmful content’, this time through search engines. It is unlikely to succeed in its stated ambition of protecting children, and will definitely cause harmful side-effects.
Australians’ right to protest is eroded daily. Behind the scenes, digital surveillance is assisting this erosion, and AI has the potential to accelerate the damage. This is made possible by Australia’s weak privacy laws.
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A simple ban of young people from social media will harm them. Young people, especially those in a minority group or remote areas of Australia, depend on the internet and social media to reach “their people”. When we limit their ability to do so, there is no replacement. They will simply be cut-off from key parts of society. Instead of an outright ban, we should focus our efforts on better regulation of social media algorithms and the targeting of content to drive advertising revenue, which would make children safer without restricting their ability to participate in society.
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Digital Rights Watch (DRW) welcomes the opportunity to submit comments to the Productivity Commission in response to the interim report regarding the “Harnessing Data and Digital Technology” inquiry. DRW is excited for the possibilities digital technology brings to our lives. The Internet has done wonderful things for humanity and we can’t wait for the next wave of life-improving technology