Sam is a dedicated digital rights activist, privacy advocate and writer who regularly contributes to public debate on technology, power and human rights. She is currently undertaking a PhD at Monash University, researching the impact of emerging technologies on housing justice in Australia.
In late 2021 the Australian government announced its social media ‘anti-trolling’ Bill.
The Bill has been framed as an “important part of the government’s commitment to protecting Australians from online harms”. However, we are concerned that the Bill offers very little toward the protection of everyday Australians from online harms, instead focusing on increasing the power of those who elect to bring defamation proceedings, and releasing media companies from possible defamation liability.
It’s fair to say that 2021 looked a lot more like 2020 than any of us ever really hoped. The pandemic has carried on, putting many lives and livelihoods at risk, and our dependence on digital spaces as critical infrastructure is now greater than ever.
If you read our newsletter or check the website you may have noticed that the Australian government is doing everything they can to rebrand as the world’s leading tech regulator. In the past few years we have been under a deluge of new laws, directives, industry codes… and yet none of them have fundamentally altered the way we interact with the digital ecosystem around us. Could the ongoing Privacy Act review finally shake up the system? And why do we also need an Online Privacy Bill?
In December 2021, alongside the announcement of the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill, the government announced a Parliamentary Inquiry into Social Media and Online Safety.
The long-awaited review of the Privacy Act is progressing!
Digital Rights Watch has been actively following the development of privacy legislation in Australia, and participating in the consultation process to reform this important law to bring it into the 21st century.
Merry digital rights, it’s our final roundup for 2021! To see out the year, a message from our Chair, Lizzie O’Shea…