Clap… Clap… Clap… Would everybody join me in an ironic slow clap for the South Australian government, who according to an AAP report today have decided they want to make it illegal to post “violent or degrading images” on the internet. Yeah, that’ll work.
According to the report, South Australian Attorney General John Rau claimed:
“The government wants to attack this disgusting fad of thugs engineering and filming violent and humiliating acts and posting the images to websites.”
People charged with uploading these images and videos would then have to prove that they had a legitimate purpose for capturing the image other than humiliating the victim.
The move comes following the internet popularity of this video of a school kid fighting back against a bully.
But given that the proposed law could only be applied to either South Australians or images uploaded in South Australia, and the internet is a global network, this is kind of like trying to use a thimble to empty the ocean. Not to mention the fact that there are so many grey areas involved that it would be near impossible to enforce – would the law apply to news organisations and paparazzi? Could someone use this law to get an unflattering image removed from Facebook (and the photographer charged?)
Almost everyone agrees that bullying and pre-engineered violence is not welcome in society, but this isn’t going to do anything to change it.
[ZDNet]
Chewy Bravo
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:07 PMdo they have computers in SA?
Matt
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 4:48 PMNo, not a single computer here at all.
tebbywinkle
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 10:49 PMAustralia has internet access?
Beardnipples McTavish
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:08 PMHAH. I’d love to see that happen.
Awnshegh
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:09 PMThe more worrying example is if the government used this law to cover up government sanctioned violence. It’s a long way but it’s little steps like these that lead us into an opressed state.
I’d rather see videoing of violent acts become applauded, provided it is given directly to the cops and they can use it to find and convict the perpetrators.
Simon Reidy
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:16 PM*facepalm* .
Agree with all your points. Plus “uploading” is a bit of a grey area. What if I link somebody to a violent image that I didn’t personally upload? Plenty of sites allow you to add a picture via URL rather than upload it directly from your computer.
Hugh
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:24 PMthis from the state which was the key roadblock for R18 games.
Mike
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:56 PMThe roadblock was the previous AG. The new one is more open to the idea.
Elephant Fresh
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:30 PMI love how the parts of the media and various institutions still seem to see the internet/social networking/smart phones as a fad. Like this current generation of kids is going to suddenly stop filming everything when it becomes uncool or illegal or they turn 18 or something. This shit is culture now. It’s about as much a fad as recorded music is.
Andy
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:38 PMHaha… whoever supports this must not be well educated.
Monnie
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:40 PMWhat’s that, my state government is retarded? *sigh*
Blake
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:45 PMJust call it journalism.
Video evidence of what happens in the school yard.
Anonymouse
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:47 PMCould work. If the crux of the argument is that the promotion and glorification of violence is wrong, though, then stuff like Knees of Fury and MMA should be banned (which isn’t going to happen)
Mike
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:58 PMMore ill informed politicians trying to do something on the internet thats impossible
Xheis
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 5:00 PMMore ill informed politicians trying apply law onto something they don’t fully understand because they fear something due to their lack of understanding right?
Rob Bailey
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:59 PMWow good to see SA isn’t just retarded when it comes to firearms laws.
ErraticFocus
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 1:01 PMsounds like a knee jerk reaction, yet also a validly vague stepping stone designed for people who have been harrassed, bullied etc and had photo and video of the event put up to stand on so they can have the shit taken down.
Kan
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 1:17 PMLets give the pollies an internet kill switch. So if one of them sees something offensive, then they turn it off for the whole state.
Keith
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 1:22 PMSA govt is completely messed up. They have some of the most backward and misguided ideas of any state govt in this country. They should secede so the rest of Australia need not endure the embarrassment of saying they are apart of our country!
Just Another Victim
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 1:39 PMI find it annoying that some of the people that are applauding him for standing up to the bully are the same people that made my high school life a living hell.
Two faced bastards.
Villainsoft
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 1:47 PMsurely the acts themselves are illegal, not the posting.
Kris
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 1:57 PMWay to overstate the Government’s aim. They don’t want to ban these sorts of images on the internet, they want to stop people filming themselves assaulting other people and then posting the video, or photos, online; its a law in response to increase in this sort of behaviour in schools – such as events at Craigmore High School in February. So of course it will apply only to South Australians, and people in SA at time of uploading; that’s what it is designed for.
As for enforcement, it will most likely be victims making a complaint to police who will investigate and then prosecute if required. Perhaps we should wait to see the legislation when its tabled to assess how effective it will be.
moloko
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 2:25 PMSo now it’s the video cameras fault there is bullying in schools. LOL
Travis New
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 2:39 PMSo now people won’t film these incidents for fear of prosecution and there will be no evidence to convict the people responsible…bravo SA
Josh
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 3:02 PMAnyone like a healthy dose of censorship?
Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.
Womp
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 3:40 PMI live in SA, and what most people don’t realise is that we ALREADY have a Law against uploading anything unsuitable for children. It was the result of a SCAG meeting where it was agreed that ALL the States would introduce the same Legislation, but only SA was dopey enough to go through with it. When it was brought in hardly anyone spoke against it and currently to the best of my knowledge no one in SA Parliament is working to remove it.
So, it would seem highly likely that the Government would expect that they can repeat what they have already done without opposition.
Tomas Medina
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 3:40 PMSouth Australians, don’t look, the following part is not safe for your sheltered minds:
South Australia is just proof Tasmanians can swim. Anybody who claims that they’d end up in Victoria obviously does not understand 2 points:
The strength of the currents in the Bass Strait, and that Victorians have guns (watch underbelly) :P
Jono Rogers
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 11:25 AMActually, the current in Bass Strait runs west.
Leo W'ski
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 4:21 PMWells thats it, my job is irrelevant…SA have saved us all from the internets. *throws papers into the air*…screw you guys I’m going home!
Peter
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 4:22 PMDear governments, state and federal.
We do not want a nanny state. We appreciate the ACCC to protect us from unscrupulous individuals and efforts to ensure the food and drink are safe to consume. As far as what we watch or play, it is none if your business providing that the production does not already violate existing laws (like child pornography)
Thank you,
Reasonable People of Australia