#esafety

[treacl19]

(via How to report abuse or content to eSafety)

[newsbites]

News from Western Australia and beyond—16 May

WA Premier Mark McGowan says the estimated damage bill following last week's riot at Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre in Western Australia has come to about $30 million.

2. Mr McGowan has doubled down on his criticism of young inmates involved in the riot at Banksia Hill, adding he is sick of calls for inquiries into the troubled facility.

His comments have been described as "insensitive":

"Someone with blatant ignorance of trauma and mental health should not be able to make decisions," [Break the Cycle] founder Rosa Hicks said in a statement.

"It's outrageous that the state is putting children in solitary confinement and then acting surprised when it pushes children over the edge."

3. Meanwhile, Senior McGowan Government minister Sue Ellery has conceded foetal alcohol spectrum disorder may be underdiagnosed among Banksia Hill inmates but has insisted the condition is difficult to confirm.

4. Australian Economists have backed a call by the federal Opposition to let Jobseekers work more without losing benefit payments.

5. The Australian Government has significantly increased funding for the eSafety Commissioner in hopes of combatting online child abuse.

[sublimeobservationarcade]

It Is Time To Lock Up Trolls and Online Abusers

The internet is here to stay and it is time to lock up trolls and online abusers. These cowardly bullies hide behind anonymity on social media and heap filthy abuse on women in particular. The legal framework around trolling is completely inadequate. The e safety commissioner is another toothless tiger in a streak of toothless tigers in Australia. The conservative governments have consistently delivered impotent human rights laws to Australians. It is time to recognise that these unsolicited comments in the online space should be treated in the same manner as libellous statements in the eyes of the law.

Re-Education Camps for Serial Online Abusers

Australia, as it stands, supports dirt throwing by gutless spiteful individual Australians with no consequences. Misogyny and racism must be clearly met with legal imperatives. There is no room for ambivalence on these matters. Serial abusers on these fronts would be best served by time spent in re-education camps. Often, people who are racists and misogynists have not been exposed to the positive aspects of empowered women and diversity, more generally. Time away from their usual lives undergoing re-training would serve them and the community well. Weeding Out Trolls & Locking Them Away There is another factor going on in this space, as well, which is the presence of bots. Automated bots driving divisive agendas on forums and on social media are present in Australia. The social media companies need to be forced to ramp up their security to weed out these negative influencers on the societal stage here in Australia. In addition, there are extremist right wing groups who have an investment in stoking divisive behaviour in these spaces in Australia. By mentioning these bad actors I do not discount the presence of real misogynists and racists in this nation – they are there in numbers. It is time to lock up trolls and online abusers. Re-education camps in the style of something scary might just send the right message of deterrence to these scumbags. It is time to ferret the cowards out and lock them up for some re-education. We could use some of those old refugee detention centres around the place. Plenty of barbed wire and dogs to keep the trolls safely locked away. A 2 year stretch in one of these re-education camps would be just the ticket for such opinionated individuals. ©WordsForWeb Read the full article

[alwaysswitchedon]

#ThinkBeforeYouClick: Funny Spam email

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  I regularly scan through my spam folder and get to see the good, the bad, the ugly and the weird: Get instant poop!   In a world where everything has to happen at the tap of a finger, I guess ‘instant poop’ is just one of the new normals. Spam email or not, this is still pretty funny sender name: Funny spam email.   Always think before you click, and if in doubt, don’t click on it.   #Tech #Tip…

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

THE eSAFETY PROBLEM

The eSafety Commisioner holds office under the Online Safety Act 2021. This world-first attempt at regulating the internet has instead been a disaster for Australians and our international reputation.

Whilst the Online Safety Act 2021 was supposed to have safeguards protecting political expression, the Commissioner has been able to entirely circumvent them. Her office has acted in a partisan manner pursuing political vendettas. It is time to put an end to this failed experiment.

Commonly asked questions

Q. What is the Online Safety Act 2021?

The Online Safety Act is the primary legislation that governs the 'eSafety Commissioner'. It provides a range of powers that allow for content to be ordered to be removed from the internet.

Q. What has gone wrong with the Online Safety Act 2021?

In short, it has been misused. Rather than protecting the public, the eSafety Commissioner has engaged in removing material for political purposes. People who have been genuinely subject to abuse have not been protected, whilst her office has waged political crusades. The result has been to undermine Australian democracy and damage Australia's international reputation.

Q. The Online Safety Act 2021 has safeguards? Surely they could stop this?

Unfortunately, with these types of powers, the safeguards are easily avoided. The Commissioner fails to give notice to all the affected people, thus limiting challenges. Her office also simply ignores many of the constraints in the legislation, including the requirement that she is not entitled to intervene with the implied freedom of political communication.

Q. Who is behind this petition?

The Free Speech Union of Australia. We exist to protect and promote Freedom of Expression for all Australians. To find out more, follow our Twitter feed, or visit our website, where you can join us.

Q. What will happen with signatures?

We will deliver a list of names and postcodes to Parliament in due course. Your email address information will only be known to the Free Speech Union of Australia.

Further questions about the eSafety Commissioner

Q. Doesn't eSafety keep people safe on the internet? Why would you abolish them?

The claims that the eSafety Commissioner is effective at keeping people safe on the internet is a myth. They have issued very few formal notices. For children, she issued a grand total of 13 notices in the space of a year, which were letters to School Principal's telling them to stop particular children bullying others.

The 'informal' investigations are also ineffective. It is easier to report directly to platforms, rather than contacting the eSafety Commissioner. Here's an illustration.

Q. Hang on, the eSafety Commissioner says that they do ten's of thousands of investigations a year? Is that true?

It depends what you consider to be an 'investigation'. If reading a report saying a post is 'bad' and taking a few minutes to decide if that complaint is justified counts as an investigation, then the Commissioner is right.

The truth is that this activity is done millions of times a day by each social media provider, when they moderate posts, one can see the scale in the European Union's own database. On that basis, we would say the the eSafety Commissioner is considerably exaggerating what they do.

Q. How is the eSafety Commissioner a threat to the internet and democracy?

Her approach is authoritarian. You don't need to take our word for it. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has said that the injunction she sought "set[s] a dangerous precedent that could legitimise practices of authoritarian governments, which do not fully value the rights to freedom of speech and access to information."

They also noted that her approach risks "a fragmented and splintered internet, undermining freedom of expression and access to information worldwide".

In the XCorp proceedings, she has also been alleged to exceed her jurisdiction, in other words, purport to exercise legal powers she does not have. We are also aware of her failing to give end users notice of their appeal rights (thus making it impossible for them to challenge). This makes her conduct even more worrying.

Q. How can we keep children safer on the internet without the eSafety Commissioner?

There are many answers. It starts with parental responsibility and controlling the use of devices. For example, it is possible for parents to take steps to keep children away from social media, or limiting access at the device level.

The idea that an eSafety Commissioner will help by taking down content is untrue. In respect of genuine abuse, existing platforms have very powerful incentives. Advertisers do not wish to see their content next to porn, or genuine cyber-abuse. Unfortunately, the eSafety Commissioner spends their days targeting other material, including lawful political speech.

If there is a need for the issue of take down notices, then this should be done judicially, following a professional process. For example, New Zealand's process has the safeguard of requiring this to be done with a judicial officer involved, as well as a technology expert to advise on appropriate action. Australia has one unaccountable person attempting to do this, namely the eSafety Commissioner.

Q. What is happening in the X case that is currently before the Federal Court of Australia?

The eSafety Commissioner obtained an temporary injunction seeking to enforce its original notice to take down a video of Mar Mari Emmanuel. X have challenged this injunction, as well as the underlying notice.

The legal arguments primarily concern:

What content the eSafety Commissioner is entitled to ban as likely being 'Refused Classification' content.

What steps are 'reasonable' for X to take the material unavailable to Australians.

Whether there was a valid notice to begin with.

We expect these arguments and the parties positions will evolve throughout the case.

Q. What is the main difference between X's case and Billboard Chris's case?

They are under different sections of the Act. In X's case, the Commissioner claimed it was due to the video likely being 'RC' (or Refused Classification) rated content, and thus should be taken down. The main error is that it is unlikely to meet that standard.

In Billboard Chris's case, the claim is that it was 'adult cyber abuse', namely content targeted at an individual (Teddy Cook), with a view towards causing him serious psychological harm. The main legal error is that the removal notice was aimed at material that does not meet the statutory definition of adult cyber abuse. It was not targeted at an Australian adult and was a relatively mild political statement. There was nothing obscene or violent about it.

As it does not meet the statutory definition, the Commissioner simply had no jurisdiction to issue the notice.

Q. What does X's case and Billboard Chris's case have in common?

They reflect the same conduct of the eSafety Commissioner in exceeding her jurisdiction and misunderstanding her powers. They also both illustrate the risks of setting up an eSafety Commissioner and giving one person the purported power to police the internet.

==

Australia's "eSafety Commissioner" is a known disgruntled ex-Twitter employee with an authoritarian streak, who has a vendetta against Elon Musk, and is abusing her unnecessary position to wage her personal war.

If you're an Australian and care about free speech and opposing censorship, sign the petition from the Free Speech Union of Australia.

[coochiequeens]

Just in time for May 3 being World Press Freedom Day a story about the Australian government warning women for correctly sexing a man

An Australian woman was reported to police after making posts on social media about a male who identifies as transgender participating in the women’s football league. Kirralie Smith was visited by New South Wales Police after speaking to media about Riley Dennis, a trans activist who had been the subject of mass complaint last month after reportedly injuring female players. 

Police visited Smith on March 30 and handed her an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) requiring that she does not discuss or approach Dennis – despite the fact that Smith lives over 200 miles from Dennis. The AVO acts as an interim order that will stand until a hearing later this month, at which point the court will decide whether it is justified. 

Smith, a spokeswoman with an organization established to combat gender ideology, has been a vocal critic regarding gender self-identification in sports. Earlier this year, Smith mobilized supporters to participate in an email campaign that resulted in a total of over 12,000 complaints being submitted to authorities at Football New South Wales (FNSW). The complaints were largely related to Dennis, who is alleged to have injured female players at a match in March.

Speaking with Reduxx, Smith explained that she believed the AVO was carried out in response to social media posts she had made specifically highlighting Dennis’ participation in women’s competitions.

Included among the stipulations of the AVO lodged against Smith by Dennis are prohibitions against electronic harassment. As a result, her statements on social media have come under legal scrutiny and, in some cases, have been censored by an arm of the Australian government dedicated to combatting “cyber abuse.”

On February 20, Smith’s public Facebook page was removed at the request of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant. Smith had set up the page in 2016 and used the platform to advocate for the rights of women and girls being harmed by gender identity policies. At the time of its deletion, Smith’s page had over 47,000 followers.

Smith expressed her shock and incredulity at the situation. If the court decides that the AVO is justified and that she has taken actions which breach the order, Smith could potentially have criminal charges leveled against her. However, she emphasized that she has received an outpouring of support. “One good thing to come out of these difficulties is the way it draws women together. It isn’t about left or right, ethnicity or anything else. We are women and I now get to call some friends that I otherwise wouldn’t. Beauty from ashes,” Smith says.

The actions taken against Smith by eSafety Commissioner Grant are not the first instances of a government-endorsed push to digitally protect Dennis.

Last week, Reduxx was contacted by the eSafety Commissioner and advised to censor or delete an article naming Dennis as having been the subject of complaint after he was alleged to have injured female players during a match in March.

In the article targeted by the eSafety Commissioner, Reduxx had revealed that Dennis was one of as many as five trans-identified male players currently competing against women in Football New South Wales competitions. An initial report from The Daily Mail Australia had chosen not to identify him when reporting on the injuries he was alleged to have caused, censoring images of him and declining to provide his name. However, Reduxx confirmed the player’s identity using the censored images from The Daily Mail Australia report and cross-referencing them to Dennis’ social media.

Dennis was a popular trans activist YouTuber who amassed 113,000 subscribers on the platform. He has since stopped creating content but, during the height of his internet career, he received backlash for a controversial video in which he called “genital preferences” transphobic.

The video, titled Your Dating ‘Preferences’ Might Be Discriminatory and released in 2017, prompted outrage from lesbians who felt Dennis was attempting to guilt them into having sexual relationships with males.

In the video, Dennis, who identifies as a “transgender lesbian,” implied that sexual orientation is caused by societal prejudices and that it is discriminatory to exclude members of the opposite sex from your dating preferences if you are homosexual. Dennis deleted the video following widespread criticism.

In addition to Smith and Reduxx, pro-woman Reddit alternative Ovarit also received a censorship notice from the eSafety Commissioner.

Ovarit posted the full contents of the email they had received to their platform. Amongst the grievances the eSafety Commissioner listed, Ovarit was warned because its users had “referred to Riley Dennis’ first name as ‘Rapey’ instead of “Riley” and have referred to her surname as ‘Penis’ instead of ‘Dennis.'”

The eSafety Commissioner targeted individual Ovarit users in its email to the platform, and appears to be demanding the users either have their comments deleted or be suspended. The email ends: “Notwithstanding this request for removal, eSafety reserves the option of exercising our regulatory options under the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth).”

In addition to the censorship experienced by Smith, Reduxx, and Ovarit, concerned citizens and parents who have been participating in online discussions of Football New South Wales’ (FNSW) gender self-identification policy have been sent threatening “notices” urging them to remove social media posts.

A community that opposes the admission of males into female sports categories has congregated at the Facebook-based NSW NPL Banter Page. 

A representative for the page spoke anonymously with Reduxx to confirm that there had been multiple reports from concerned individuals that the sporting authority had been warning critics that they may be “sanctioned” for their comments and posts on social media.

The NSW NPL Banter administrator was also sent an email notification of an “investigation” that FNSW claims to have opened into posts and comments made on the page. It stated that, according to 2023 FNSW’s Social Media Policy, a member of the organization “must not make public or media comment (including via social media) which is detrimental to Football New South Wales, Football Australia, their commercial partners or to the interests of the game.”

The message specified two posts which depicted “a participant with a phallus photoshopped onto their body” alongside the word “unacceptable” as evidence to support the investigation. It was further stated that comments considered subject to removal include those which “criticize” Football NSW, members or participants, or its policies.

The page’s creator also told Reduxx that, despite several attempts to share the article naming Dennis as a man playing on a women’s team, such posts were repeatedly deleted. 

“We had put the article up on our Facebook page and it was deleted three times – after we had successfully challenged its removal two times previously,” the administrator said.

In the past few months, the page has published several posts critical of FNSW’s policy allowing men to compete against women. Though some have remained, many have been removed.

“Biological adult males and it’s not just one, it is several, are playing in NSW women’s state league competitions, which contain teenage girls and young women. Shame on those clubs, who have discarded any morals they might have had, just to sign these things, so as to be able to win, where’s the dignity? You put winning above respect for the competition,” the NSW NPL Banter Page wrote in a now-deleted post last month.

Responses to posts made on the page are overwhelmingly sympathetic to women and girls being forced to compete against men.

“I feel sorry for our young women who are at increased risk of injury and losing opportunities,” read one comment.

Referring specifically to Dennis, another concerned respondent said: “He put two girls in hospital and has scored 9 goals. What a joke.”

“The women who play this sport deserve better than playing with full grown adult men who have transitioned into women… This is cheating at the highest level and it angers me to my core,” said another commenter.

The issue of locker rooms was also brought up, as one woman replied, “What happens to a minor age female who is in the change room with a biologically born male in a senior team? Who is responsible for the duty of care toward those girls both on and off the field?”

On March 31, in response to demands from parents to ban trans-identified males from women’s matches for FNSW, Football Australia doubled down by announcing it would be developing a “transgender and gender-diverse high performance inclusion policy.”

The policy states that Football Australia intends to “deliver LGBTQI+ training and support resources to the football community” by way of a partnership with activist group Pride in Sport. “The aim of this training will be to provide the Australian Football community with a greater understanding of the lived experience of LGBTQI+ communities and their participation in sport,” the statement read.

On April 6, an individual who identifies himself as a referee stated in a forum dedicated to discussing Youth Football matches in the region that members of Football NSW were sent an email announcing an LGBTQ+ Online Training Session to be held the following week.

By Genevieve Gluck

Genevieve is the Co-Founder of Reduxx, and the outlet's Chief Investigative Journalist with a focused interest in pornography, sexual predators, and fetish subcultures. She is the creator of the podcast Women's Voices, which features news commentary and interviews regarding women's rights.

[aressida]

The lawsuit between Musk and the Australian government has been dropped.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/esafety-commissioner-drops-court-case-against-x-over-sydney-church-stabbing/news-story/f4559089adcab138401599b1fbd51f1c

[a-dotrivenitupontop]

MYTHIC WUEST AVENUE 5 AU

[askgv]

eSafety Supplies is a leading provider of top-quality safety equipment and supplies in Australia. With a strong commitment to safety and a focus on meeting the needs of customers in various industries, eSafety Supplies has established itself as a trusted name in the field. About eSafety Supplies: At eSafety Supplies, we understand the paramount importance

[joyful-daddy]

Watch "Raising Digital Citizens: A Guide to Social Media Safety for Kids" on YouTube

[aawestautomotive]

Schedule Car Service Hawkesbury for E-Safety Checks Today

A certificate of roadworthiness is the evidence where the safety of the vehicle will be assured to drive in the public roads. Unless you are having this certificate, you cannot legally drive the vehicle on the road. The certificate will guarantee the mechanical reliability of the vehicle concerning all the safety factors.

[ethnolink]

Ethnolink has been awarded a 2-year contract with the Office of the eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) for the provision of translation services.

[rainesol]

So do they just not teach esafety in school anymore or what

[alwaysswitchedon]

#ThinkBeforeYouClick: Beware well-crafted Spam emails

Think Before You Click: Beware well-crafted Spam emails #TechTip brought to you by Yours *TrulyJuly*. #TechTuesday #Scam #Spam #Phishing #BeCyberSmart #GetCyberSafe #ThinkBeforeYouAct #ThinkBeforeYouClick #ThinkBeforeYouPost #InternetSafety #OnlineSecurity #eSafety #CyberSecurity #CyberTips #OnlineSecurity #DataSecurity #online #digital #Hack #Trick #HowTo #usability #UX #UserExperience #TechBlogger #YoursTrulyJuly #techie #techtrick #techhack #techsupport #tipsandtricks #BetterDigitalWorld #counterfeit #fake

  I check my spam folder regularly, because sometimes legit emails slip through.   This also means that I get to see a lot of spam emails. Always again I’m surprised how well crafted some of these are.   There are numerous lists what to watch out for in phishing emails, but some emails tick all the boxes: At first glance this email looks legit.   This email is in my spam folder, so I know to…

[positivelyqueer]

Any Australian First Nations people who see this look after yourselves please. Know that you Are loved.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN on 13 92 76

eSafety Commission's First Nations resources