Tag: australia

Substack expands censorship to Australian users

Last week, we noted that Substack had caved into the UK censorship regime and was restricting the content that UK users can access unless they verified their age with either a selfie or a government-approved ID.

Age verification is not about keeping children “safe,” it is about control: age verification online is increasingly being integrated with digital ID systems, particularly through government-backed digital identity wallets, and is becoming a foundational component of digital ID systems with several countries, including the US, European Union member states, the UK and Australia, advancing digital ID frameworks where age verification is a core function. 

For example, the GOV.UK Wallet is under development and will be used for identity verification, with age verification being a key application. And in Australia, the Digital ID Act 2024 established the Australian Government Digital ID System, allows users to prove identity online.

The example we used in our previous article to demonstrate the type of content being censored for UK users on Substack, unless we comply with the rolling out of the digital ID agenda, was the article ‘UK’s open border policy is not normal; nor is it acceptable’.

Along similar lines, yesterday, a Substack user re-stacked our article ‘London Primary school teacher is banned from working with children for telling a Muslim pupil that Britain is a Christian country’.  Substack has censored the article for non-paying users who have not complied with age verification.

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Australia launches youth social media ban it says will be the world’s ‘first domino’

Can children and teenagers be forced off social media en masse? Australia is about to find out.

More than 1 million social media accounts held by users under 16 are set to be deactivated in Australia on Wednesday in a divisive world-first ban that has inflamed a culture war and is being closely watched in the United States and elsewhere.

Social media companies will have to take “reasonable steps” to ensure that under-16s in Australia cannot set up accounts on their platforms and that existing accounts are deactivated or removed.

Australian officials say the landmark ban, which lawmakers swiftly approved late last year, is meant to protect children from addictive social media platforms that experts say can be disastrous for their mental health.

“With one law, we can protect Generation Alpha from being sucked into purgatory by predatory algorithms described by the man who created the feature as ‘behavioral cocaine,’” Communications Minister Anika Wells told the National Press Club in Canberra last week.

While many parents and even their children have welcomed the ban, others say it will hinder young people’s ability to express themselves and connect with others, as well as access online support that is crucial for those from marginalized groups or living in isolated parts of rural Australia. Two 15-year-olds have brought a legal challenge against it to the nation’s highest court.

Supporters say the rest of the world will soon follow the example set by the Australian ban, which faced fierce resistance from social media companies.

“I’ve always referred to this as the first domino, which is why they pushed back,” Julie Inman Grant, who regulates online safety as Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, said at an event in Sydney last week.

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Australian Leaders and Legacy Media Celebrates Launch of Online Digital ID Age Verification Law

It was sold as a “historic day,” the kind politicians like to frame with national pride and moral purpose.

Cameras flashed in Canberra as Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stood at the podium, declaring victory in the fight to “protect children.”

What Australians actually got was a nationwide digital ID system. Starting December 10, every citizen logging into select online platforms must now pass through digital ID verification, biometric scans, face matching, and document checks, all justified as a way to keep under-16s off social media.

Kids are now banned from certain platforms, but it’s the adults who must hand over their faces, IDs, and biometric data to prove they’re not kids.

“Protecting children” has been converted into a universal surveillance upgrade for everyone.

According to Albanese, who once said if he became a dictator the first thing he would do was ban social media, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 will “change lives.”

He described it as a “profound reform” that will “reverberate around the world,” giving parents “peace of mind” and inspiring “the global community” to copy Australia’s example.

The Prime Minister’s pride, he said, had “never been greater.” Listening to him, you’d think he’d cured cancer rather than making face scans mandatory to log in to Facebook.

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The Encryption Double Life of Canberra

The Australian government is quietly relying on encrypted messaging to conduct sensitive business, even as it hardens its stance against public use of secure communications.

While the public faces increasing surveillance and legal pressure for using end-to-end encryption, senior officials are steering policy conversations into private digital spaces, shielding them from scrutiny under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws.

Since midyear, ministerial staff have been advising lobbyists, peak bodies and industry groups to avoid email altogether and submit reform proposals through the encrypted messaging app Signal.

Some of these exchanges have been requested using disappearing messages, ensuring there is no record retained on government systems.

Several sources confirmed to the Saturday Paper that this guidance is now common across a number of policy areas.

In addition to Signal, stakeholders have been encouraged to use phone calls for detailed conversations and limit the content of any written communications.

In at least one case, after a formal meeting, the follow-up came in the form of a verbal summary rather than the usual written recap sent by email.

While the government has maintained formal channels for official submissions, a secondary mode of policymaking is taking shape.

This mode operates out of reach of archiving protocols and public oversight.

One participant in this informal process described it as an effort to protect the early phases of policy development from outside scrutiny, arguing that “fluid thoughts and ideas” should be exempt from public record.

Yet the effect of these practices is to create a shadow layer of government consultation that leaves no trace and falls outside the accountability mechanisms intended to safeguard democratic participation.

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Australia: Meta begins deactivating accounts ahead of 16-year-old minimum social media age limit

Meta has begun removing social media accounts belonging to Australian children under 16 years old from its platforms, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.

The tech giant has started notifying users aged 13 to 15 years old that their accounts would cease to exist on December 4th. Starting December 10th, social media companies will face fines up to A$49.5 million ($33million USD) should they fail to take steps to halt children under 16 years old from owning accounts.

Australian eSafety Commissioners will send major platforms notices on December 11th demanding statistics about exactly how many accounts were removed from their sites. Additionally, monthly notices are planned for 2026.

It is estimated that 150,000 Facebook accounts and 325,000 Instagram users will be terminated. 

“The government recognizes that age assurance may require several days or weeks to complete fairly and accurately,” Communications Minister Anika Wells reported.

“However, if eSafety identifies systemic breaches of the law, the platforms will face fines,” she added.

Google sent out a notice on Wednesday stating that anyone in Australia under 16 would be signed out of YouTube on December 10th and will lose features accessible available only to account holders, such as playlists.

Google states it determines YouTube users’ ages “based on personal data contained in associated Google accounts and other signals.”

“We have consistently said this rushed legislation misunderstands our platform, the way young Australians use it and, most importantly, it does not fulfill its promise to make kids safer online,” a Google statement reported.

Users over 16 years old who were wrongfully revoked account access have the option to verify their age through government-issued ID or a Video selfie, per Meta.

Platforms such as X and Reddit contacted underage users, suggesting that they download their posted pictures and freeze their accounts until they become of age.

The Australian government claims the ban will protect children from the harms of social media. However, critics say this decision may isolate certain groups who depend on the platforms for connection and push children to other, potentially more harmful corners of the internet.

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YouTube says it will comply with Australia’s teen social media ban

Google’s YouTube shared a “disappointing update” to millions of Australian users and content creators on Wednesday, saying it will comply with a world-first teen social media ban by locking out users aged under 16 from their accounts within days.

The decision ends a stand-off between the internet giant and the Australian government which initially exempted YouTube from the age restriction, citing its use for educational purposes. Google (GOOGL.O) had said it was getting legal advice about how to respond to being included.

“Viewers must now be 16 or older to sign into YouTube,” the company said in a statement.

“This is a disappointing update to share. This law will not fulfill its promise to make kids safer online and will, in fact, make Australian kids less safe on YouTube.”

The Australian ban is being closely watched by other jurisdictions considering similar age-based measures, setting up a potential global precedent for how the mostly U.S. tech giants behind the biggest platforms balance child safety with access to digital services.

The Australian government says the measure responds to mounting evidence that platforms are failing to do enough to protect children from harmful content.

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Mum taking legal action against SA government after teen exposed to ‘bestiality’ and ‘incest’ in public school presentation

A mother is taking legal action against the South Australian government over claims her 14-year-old daughter was exposed to a school presentation referencing bestiality and incest.

In an exclusive television interview, Nicki Gaylard broke down as she explained why she plans to sue the state in the District Court of South Australia to ensure no other family has to suffer the same distress as hers.

The impending lawsuit is being funded by faith-based legal organisation Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which is working with Ms Gaylard’s local Adelaide lawyers.

The hour-long presentation was part of a Respectful Relationships program meant to “promote LGBTQIA+ inclusivity and acceptance” that was delivered to year 9 girls by an external provider in March last year at Renmark High School in regional South Australia.

Ms Gaylard, a mother of six, wept as she recounted how her daughter Courtney felt so upset by the presentation, she left halfway through and went to the school’s sick bay.

Her mother collected her from school early and withdrew all her children attending the school that same day.

They now attend a local Catholic school.

“The first thing she said was: ‘They’re talking about having sex with animals’, so it took me a few minutes to get my jaw off the floor,” Ms Gaylard told Sky News.

“She said they just presented this list of words… Bestiality was one of the words and she said: ‘No one knew what that was, Mum.’ One of the girls asked: ‘What is bestiality?’

“(The presenter) said: ‘Oh, it’s having sex with animals, but don’t Google it girls’.

“When your daughter comes home from school, you don’t expect them to tell you things like how uncomfortable, how unsafe and how trapped they felt.”

She said Courtney had told her the first thing the students saw when they walked in the room was a slide that read: “We can see queer-ly now” and the students were left with three external presenters and no teacher present.

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Satanic child sex abuse ring is busted by police in Australia – as four men are charged over their involvement

A Sydney-based satanic child sex abuse material ring has been busted by police, who have charged four men over their alleged involvement. 

Among those charged is Landon Ashton Versace Germanotta-Mills, 26, who was arrested at an apartment in Waterloo in the city of Sydney on Thursday 

Police allege Germanotta-Mills played a leading role in the paedophile network, which traded shocking abuse material.

Detectives from the sex crimes squad established Strike Force Constantine to investigate the online distribution of child sexual abuse material involving ritualistic or satanic themes. 

During the investigation, police uncovered the Sydney-based network which was actively involved in possessing, distributing and facilitating the material via a ‘website administered internationally’. 

Detectives, along with the riot squad, executed six search warrants on Thursday in Waterloo, Ultimo and Malabar. 

Germanotta-Mills, a self-appointed independent investigative journalist, was arrested in a zebra-print outfit, covering his face with a blue beanie. 

He was charged with child abuse offences including seven counts of using a carriage service to make child abuse available, use carriage service to access child abuse material, three counts of possessing child abuse data-use carriage service, two counts of disseminating bestiality material and possessing bestiality material. 

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US House Committee Summons Australian Censor Julie Inman Grant Over Global Takedown Demands

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, is now facing transnational political clash after the US House Judiciary Committee demanded she appear before Congress to explain her office’s global content takedown efforts.

The committee, chaired by Republican Jim Jordan, argues that Australia’s Online Safety Act (OSA) has evolved into what he called a “foreign censorship regime” with implications for American speech.

In a letter sent Tuesday, Jordan described Inman Grant as a “zealot” and accused her of pushing an “expansive interpretation” of the OSA that “directly threatens American speech.”

We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.

He warned that her efforts to enforce content removals beyond Australia’s borders amount to an assertion of jurisdiction over foreign citizens and platforms.

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Australia’s weapons programs exposed in defence industry cyber attacks

A series of cyber attacks on defence industry supply chain contractors has exposed threats to Australia’s weapons programs, security analysts say.

Over the past week, it was revealed that a hacker group shared material about Australia’s $7 billion Land 400 military program after allegedly breaching several Israeli defence companies.

The Cyber Toufan group posted images and details on Telegram about the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) next-generation Redback infantry fighting vehicle.

Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems is involved in the project, supplying the vehicle’s high-tech turrets.

Another group claimed responsibility for a cyber attack on IKAD Engineering, a key player in the Australian defence industry.

The J Group ransomware gang alleges it infiltrated the company’s systems for five months in what it described as a “staycation in the defence supply chain”.

The hackers claimed they obtained information relating to Australian naval contracts, including the Hunter Class frigate and Collins Class submarine programs.

IKAD Engineering chief executive Gerard Dyson confirmed the incident, saying an “external third party” had gained unauthorised access to a portion of its internal IT systems

He said so far only “non-sensitive project information” had been impacted, along with employee files, adding that IKAD did not have direct connections into ADF systems. 

Cybersecurity experts warned even non-sensitive data could have strategic value, and the attacks should be a “wake-up call”.

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