Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Pushing for Worldwide Internet Censorship, Says Shellenberger
According to American author and journalist Michael Shellenberger, the Australian government should not censor the global Internet just because it disagrees with certain content.
Shellenberger criticized Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, for trying to enforce global internet censorship. He described Grant as a key figure in the Global Online Safety Regulators Network, which aims to censor speech that politicians and bureaucrats find threatening.
The network comprises representatives from seven countries, including Australia, France, the UK, Ireland, Korea, South Africa, and Fiji. Grant stated that the network’s goal is to enhance safety outcomes for citizens.
Shellenberger believes that the network is a tool for governments to unify around censorship and invade privacy, potentially leading to restrictions on technologies like Virtual Private Networks.
In an online post, Shellenberger expressed concerns that government censors from various countries might collaborate to censor the entire Internet, not just in their respective nations.
In an interview, Grant mentioned using regulatory measures to hold social media platforms accountable, which might conflict with their growth and operability.
Shellenberger also criticized Australian politicians, like Jacqui Lambie, for demanding global censorship of violent content. He argued that while warning labels and content restrictions for minors are reasonable, censoring political speech on a global scale is unjustifiable.
He emphasized that no nation should have the authority to dictate global Internet content based on its preferences.
