Aus readies fresh Israeli sanctions + Is the gov really taking on big tech?

Chris Spyrou (0:08)

Hey, Chris Spyrou, with you, welcome to The Briefing. We're building a country where you're watched almost everywhere you go, and the tech doing the watching is getting cheaper, smarter, and harder to spot by the day. And while the government says it's taking the fight to big tech, my guest today isn't convinced.

David Shoebridge (0:25)

So this is a very dangerous moment, where the interests of government in having a surveillance state and tracking and controlling you are actually being matched by the interests of global corporates who want to track and control you, one for profit, one for control, and they're doing it in this pincer movement.

Chris Spyrou (0:41)

That chat with Green Senator David Shoebridge on his new AI portfolio, Smart Glasses, Coles, Ditching, Palantir, and Whether We Even Need Data Centers is coming up in the second half of this episode. First, though, let's get into the headlines with Sacha Barbour Gatt. It's Wednesday, the 9th of September.

Anthony Albanese (0:58)

We're taking power from big global tech companies and giving it to ordinary Australians.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (1:04)

That was Prime Minister Anthony Albanese there announcing Labor's landmark digital duty of care laws, along with plans to let Aussies opt out of social media algorithms. We got details of the new policy yesterday. It's called My Feed, My Way, and it'll hold tech giants to account when it comes to harmful online content under Labor's plan.

It will also force platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook to create a feature that will let us avoid the algorithm entirely, and companies that don't comply will face fines of $100 million.

Chris Spyrou (1:36)

Labor will look to pass the new laws later in the year, but it remains to be seen what level of support it will get from the Coalition and crossbenchers. The opposition yesterday was split on the issue with one of the main concerns being censorship. Nationals leader Matt Canavan claiming the government was looking to use the laws to clamp down on political rivals.

Matt Canavan (1:54)

They just can't be trusted here to be given an enormous amount of power. Keep in mind this legislation would give the minister the power to decide what's harmful and you can't in a free and open and democratic society give the executive government that kind of power to silence and gag their political opponents which clearly he wants to do.

Chris Spyrou (2:12)

On News 24 there and the he he referred to at the end of the grab was Labor Assistant Minister for Competition Charities and Treasury Andrew Lee who has made comments saying the algorithm favors right-wing populists. Now I've tried. I've tried to zoom out and to look at this from the perspective of those who claim this is an attack on free speech and this is censorship.

I can't see how this optional thing that you're being given a choice to tick is an attack on free speech or a censorship. Censorship is when the information is not available. The information is blacked out. People can go and search for topics should they wish to look it up. It's just not hitting your feeds without your say so.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (2:52)

Yeah, and that's exactly how it used to be and how we consumed information was you had to go and do your research, which didn't exist. It wasn't on social media. It wasn't opinion. You're going to find facts, whether you went to a library and opened a book or whether you googled something and you went to a political party's page or an analyst who could give a breakdown of everything that was happening with whatever issue it was you were trying to get to the bottom of.

I hear you there with the idea that the information will still exist. It's just not going to be fed to you. Look, the Greens meantime, don't think the laws go far enough. They want people to have to opt into the algorithm rather than being given a choice to opt out. Neither the Greens nor the Coalition have cemented their position. They say they're going to take the time to review the details and they'll come to a formal position closer to when Labor tries to legislate, my feed, my way. Sounds like a TV show. I love the name of the policy.

Chris Spyrou (3:47)

So think about the song I did it my way. That's all I've been thinking about.

Sacha Barbour Gatt (3:51)

Labor could be forced to do what the Greens want, which is create that opt in model if the Coalition does vote against the laws as they stand or as they're put out for consultation at this point.