Government’s deceptive ‘online danger’ ads outed for the fear mongering they really are
By now you’ve probably seen the ads to go along with the government’s big spend on protecting the kiddies online. There are some scary stats thrown about in these ads to really get you worried… if you have no idea what you’re being told.
There is an excellent analysis in the Sydney Morning Herald of the government’s campaign, beautifully entitled “Ministry’s web of deception needs a virtual reality check”. Gold. Here are a few of the blatant manipulations identified in the story:SPIN: The AFP’s Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team has charged 55 people, and apparently as a ‘particular focus’ on grooming (those sick fuckers who approach kids).
FACT: The number of people charged with ‘grooming’ offences in Australia are somewhere between ‘one’ and ’some’ – most of those charges are child porn.
SPIN: A ’startling’ 37% of kids who chat online are contacted by someone they don’t know, and 18% had been asked by a stranger to meet them.
FACT: The government definition of ’stranger’ here includes friends of friends!
SPIN: More than half of all children using the Internet have been approached by strangers.
FACT: This definition includes any ‘unsolicited approach’, including spam! FFS!!
Kudos to Michael Duffy on adding some clarity to what many netizens would see was a beat up. Now go forth and share these juicy points of spin/fact with your families so they can better understand how the government is trying to manufacture fear of all things online likes we’re jumped back to 1997.
Let’s be clear. There is stuff for kids to worry about online. But let’s keep things in perspective and judge the risks appropriately. Not generate a scare campaign that offers nil but political benefit.
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Comments
SB great kudos on the political commentary! It’s not just mindless bashing, but you also offer up a solution and make some carefully researched and valid points. Best journalism I’ve seen on Giz thus far.
Well done!
this story is grossly unfair, how else are they going to be re-elected if they can’t scare us into voting for them?
i did really love the inclusion of spam in the “contacted by strangers” section, 37%? damn thats some good filtering…
passed it on to every parent i know.
modems overboard…
Also did you notice that all this “evil internet stuff” appears to only happen on Mac’s??
not great product placement!
how to avoid government spin-doctoring.
my advice, free your mind, download your fav. tv shows & never watch commercial televison again.
This was my new years resolution & it’s one of the best decisions i’ve ever made!
Where’s that guy who loves the Howard government again? C’mon man – you can’t miss an opportunity to let us all know how this campaign is for our benefit and how the Howard government is ‘on the right track’…
It isn’t even worth commenting on a reporters work – he has no expertise on the issue and cannot even quote sources or do some basic research. Michael Duffy lists no references to back up his claims and all it seems that all he is capable to doing is exploiting the comments of some PR secretary, who was probably sick of lousy reporters calling in. He is totally hypocritical of the government.
If you even look on smh’s website you can see how he even contradicts ‘real’ articles published by the same paper: “as many as 700 people were being investigated by police in relation to child pornography allegations and predicted up to 500 could be charged”
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/02/1096527971874.html
At least it is good see that the article was posted in the Opinion section – what kind of a loser reporter gets his work put in there.
The Howard Government has taken a strong approach to cracking down on cyber predators for a many years prior to this election – contrary to the belief of some ignorants on Gizmodo.
Seriously people, look up information for your selves and never take an Opinion piece as fact – this should be your last resource only to be used after finding the opinion of your pet dog on the issue.
… I guess I’m gonna cop some flack for this one…
lol @ poo
Yes that guy is hilarious
And SB – this is a *great* article… But honestly I didn’t get spam with my “original” hotmail account for about 18 months when I was still at school and all… So 37% isn’t unlikely I don’t think when it includes spam.
It’s only since I’ve gotten older, started putting email in places online that the spam cannons really got aimed at me.
When I started I only really used the email for msn messenger.
I was in a movie theater and they played the ad that goes “This is the sound of playing online / this is the sound of straying online.” So I shouted out, this is the sound of the federal government wasting 80 million dollars. It had the whole place in stitches.