Now it is the Social Media Ban to Fight, Quickly! By James Reed

The next censorship social control legislation that the glob commo Albo government is attempting to push through is the Social Media Minimum Age Bill 2024, which will be the greatest attack upon privacy and civil liberties, since the Misinformation Bill.But this Bill hides its totalitarian agenda under the guise of "protect the children." There is less than 24 hours for the public to make submissions, which would have passed by the time this article gets published online. The Bill will require social media companies to engage in "age assurance systems," so that users can prove that they are over the age of 16 years. That will involve collecting data from you, everyone, one's ID and even biometric data which will be stored online. The potential for abuse by hackers will be irresistible. In any case the platforms must take "reasonable" steps, as determined by the dictates of the eSafety commissioner, the one who moved to censor the internet posts dealing with the Sydney stabbings of the orthodox Christian priest.

The aim of the law is not to "protect the children," as if that was so other parts of the internet would need to be controlled, such as pornography sites, which are no doubt popular with the Left. Rather, the aim is to control Elon Musk's X, which governments see as dangerous, especially now that he is part of the Trump team. How to fight this is detailed in the material below, but we need to move quickly because on this one, Albo is moving faster than normal. Aim to at least stop this one in the Senate. At the time of writing formal submissions to the Senate inquiry have closed. Still push on and contact the Senators in your state and tell them to vote this Bill down.

https://nationfirst.substack.com/p/theyre-coming-for-your-privacyand

"Have you heard about how fast they're moving on this? The government is ramming the Bill through Parliament. They've given Australians less than 24 hours to make public submissions to an also rushed Senate inquiry—barely enough time to read the thing, let alone understand it. Why the rush? What are they trying to hide?

What does the Bill mean for you?

Let me tell you what this Bill does. It forces social media platforms to prove that users are 16 or older by implementing "age assurance" systems. That might sound harmless, but have you thought about what "age assurance" actually means? It means collecting your private information—your ID, maybe even your face through biometric scanning—and storing it online.

The Bill requires platforms to take "reasonable steps" to enforce the age limit. But what's reasonable? That's entirely up to one unelected bureaucrat: the eSafety Commissioner. This is the same person who once suggested that freedom of speech needs to be "recalibrated" for the sake of safety. That should send a shiver down your spine.

The Bill itself makes it clear: the eSafety Commissioner gets to decide what's reasonable. They get to write the rules without oversight. Section 27(1)(qa) of the Bill gives them the power to set guidelines, and the Bill's accompanying explanatory memorandum even says these guidelines "are not legislative instruments," meaning Parliament doesn't get a say. How is this democratic? How is this safe?

The major concern I have about the Bill is that your privacy will be undermined.

Now, you might be thinking: "But surely there are privacy protections, right?" Wrong. The Bill claims platforms can only use your personal information for age verification, but can you really trust that? Do you trust these platforms, or the corporate bureaucrats behind them, to destroy your data when they say they will?

And what happens if there's a data breach? Think about it: your child's ID, your face, or your private details in the hands of hackers or even foreign governments. Section 63F of the Bill outlines the so-called privacy safeguards, but we all know how easily these promises can be broken.

This Bill doesn't just target kids. It affects you. Every Australian will feel this if these systems are rolled out. It's not just about whether your kid can make a TikTok account—it's about whether you're comfortable handing over your identity to Big Tech and Big Government.

If this is about protecting kids, why stop at social media?

Here's a question for you: if the government is so concerned about kids being online, why aren't they demanding age verification for every porn site? If protecting young Australians is the priority, shouldn't the most harmful corners of the internet be addressed first? You and I know that social media is only part of the problem. This Bill doesn't even come close to tackling the real threats to our children.

Why the rush?

If this Bill is so important, why is the government rushing it through Parliament? Why are they silencing debate? Why are they holding a sham Senate inquiry with submissions due by 5pm Friday? You and I both know that laws made in haste are dangerous. They're riddled with loopholes that bad actors can exploit.

This Bill opens the door for massive overreach. Unelected bureaucrats will have unchecked power. Big Tech will gain access to even more of your private data. And all of this is being done with almost no scrutiny. What could go wrong? Everything.

What can you do about it?

You don't have to sit back and let them strip away your privacy in the name of "safety." I'm asking you—yes, you—to stand up and take action. Here's how you can fight back:

1. Contact your local Liberal National Coalition MP. Tell them you're concerned about this Bill. Let them know it puts your privacy and freedom at risk and demand they stand against it. The group Australians Vs The Agenda has created a website that shows you how to put together such a letter, which you can find at https://australiansvstheagenda.com.au/ban

2. Make a submission to the Senate inquiry. You can either send your submission to the Senate Committtee secretariat by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or upload it through their website which you can access by clicking here. It's fast and easy, and every voice counts. Let the government know you won't stand for rushed laws that undermine your rights. Now the Senate has limited the inquiry to just five days, and submissions are now due by 5pm (Canberra time) on Friday, 22 November 2022 (which, at the time of writing this post, is tomorrow). The inquiry has asked for 1 to 2 page submissions so you don't need to write much. I would suggest to focus on the following points:

• Privacy Risks: The Bill requires age verification, which could involve collecting sensitive personal information like IDs or biometric data. This creates serious risks of data breaches and misuse, exposing Australians to identity theft or worse.
• Overreach by Bureaucrats: The eSafety Commissioner has been granted broad powers to interpret what "reasonable steps" for compliance mean, without proper parliamentary oversight. This puts too much control in the hands of an unelected official.
• Weak Safeguards: While the Bill claims to protect privacy, it doesn't adequately ensure data collected for age verification will be destroyed or prevent third-party misuse. Australians deserve stronger protections.
• Erosion of Anonymity: Age assurance systems may de-anonymize social media users, linking real-world identities to online accounts. This undermines free expression and online privacy.
• Rushed Process: With only 24 hours to submit feedback and a five-day inquiry, there's no time for proper public or expert scrutiny of the Bill. Rushed laws lead to dangerous unintended consequences.

3. Share this public Nation First post with at least 5 people right now.

Remember: This Bill isn't just about protecting kids; it's about opening the floodgates to surveillance, data breaches, and government overreach. If we don't stop it now, you and I will be the ones dealing with the fallout for years to come. Don't let them sacrifice your privacy for their agenda. Speak up while you still can."

Here is some more background information from Rebekah Barnett, some of which is now dated as the submission deadline was set so close to preclude public scrutiny. There are however still some useful information for readers to use when contacting Senators.

https://news.rebekahbarnett.com.au/p/urgent-less-than-24-hours-to-provide

The Labor government introduced new legislation today to enforce a minimum age of 16 years for social media.

For some reason, they're in a huge rush.

The Senate has been given only two business days to review the bill before its report is due next Tuesday, which means Australians have been afforded only one day to provide submissions.

The social media age ban has bipartisan support. A motion was put by the Greens requesting to extend the Senate inquiry into the bill through to February, but the majority of the Coalition were absent from the chamber during the vote, allowing Labor to block it (with the support of a few Liberals).

Like everyone else who has just found out about this, I haven't even read the bill yet, but am getting this out so that you can make a submission by tomorrow, Friday 22 November 2024 if you wish (time not specified. I would go with COB AEDT to be safe).

Due to the short timeframe of the inquiry (!!) the committee has requested that submissions be limited to 1-2 pages.

Make a submission to the inquiry here.

Read the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 [Provisions] here.

What the government says about the bill

• It will deliver greater protections for young Australians during critical stages of their development.
• It will require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent under 16s from having accounts.
• The law places the onus on social media platforms – not parents or young people – to take reasonable steps to ensure these protections are in place.
• It will ensure young Australians have continued access to messaging and online gaming, as well as access to services which are health and education related, like Headspace, Kids Helpline, and Google Classroom, and YouTube.
• The government will introduce stronger penalties for online safety breaches, which will see digital platforms face fines of up to $49.5 million for systemic breaches.
• The bill creates a new definition of 'age-restricted' social media platforms. This will include Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and X, amongst others.
• It will contain robust privacy provisions, including requiring platforms to ringfence and destroy any information collected to safeguard the personal information of all Australians.

What others say about the bill

• eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, the regulator who will implement the ban, has so far dodged endorsing the bill, comparing a blanket age ban to banning kids from the water rather than putting up pool fences and teaching them to swim.
• Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young delivering the results of the Senate inquiry into social media: "What is not in the recommendations is a blunt age ban on social media." (The full report can be found here.)
• Greens Senator David Shoebridge has warned that all Australians will be required to go through the age assurance process online in order to implement the ban, raising privacy and data protection concerns for all users, regardless of age. Senator Shoebridge also said that a blanket ban will encourage kids to use VPNs to participate in an unregulated online environment, rather than making online spaces safe.

Source: David Shoebridge on X

• Communications Minister Michelle Rowland "misunderstood the purpose and findings of our research," said University of Oxford professor Andrew Przybylski after Rowland cited his research in support of the bill. Przybylski said he did not agree that his research provides justification for the social media age ban.
• "Australia: where a 10yo can go to jail, but a 15yo can't go on TikTok..." - X user @StrewthQueen (the age of criminal responsibility in Australia is 10).
• "Children and young people have rights to free speech too, as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Government's new Bill banning social media for Australians under-16 fails to respect those rights…" - Free Speech Union of Australia on X.
• "Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians." - Elon Musk
• "I am concerned about the impact of social media on children, but this bill is a Trojan horse to create digital IDs, which is a giant leap into the totalitarian dystopia depicted in "Black Mirror," and already in place in China. And [Prime Minister Anthony Albanese] has proven censorial and untrustworthy." - Twitter Files journalist Michael Shellenberger.
• I have not seen any specific posts lately but I have previously seen activists for protecting kids from online porn praise age assurance/verification policies.

My thoughts

There is reliable evidence that heavy smart phone and social media use harms kids and young people. Jonathan Haidt (Substack here) is the go-to for this.

Kids are encountering porn online at younger and younger ages. Social media exacerbates bullying, self-esteem problems from a constant feed of touched up images, and predators can use smart phone mediated apps to lure children into inappropriate interactions.

The question is not whether these things can be harmful, but what do it about it, and how to balance these measures with benefits afforded by social media use as well (e.g.: education and connection).

The Australian Government tends towards blunt solutions to problems that sit at the nexus of social and digital phenomena - the heavy handed and totally misguided misinformation bill being one example.

What technology will be used for this process? We don't know yet, because the tender for the government's $6.5 million age assurance technology trial was only awarded a week ago, to a consortium headed by the world-leading Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS).

"Age assurance technologies include methods that verify a user's identity credentials to accurately determine their age, as well as methods that estimate the age of a user – for example, using biometric markers or digital usage patterns," says the award announcement.

We do know, however, that eSafety's Age Verification Roadmap is tied in with Australia's recently legislated Digital ID framework, to which the government has allotted $288.1 million over the next four years.

So while Digital ID may not be the first stop on the road to online age assurance, it is likely the final destination.

As raised by Senator Shoebridge and a host of others, all Australian social media users will be required to go through an age assurance process in order to implement the age ban.

Unfortunately I have not yet had the opportunity to fully explore alternative solutions, including digesting the recommendations of the Senate inquiry into social media, which you can read in the report here.

So, that's all I've got to say about that for now.

If you wish to make a submission to the Senate inquiry into the social media age limit bill, make sure you do so by close of business (AEDT) tomorrow, Friday 22 November 2024, and keep it to 1-2 pages so the committee can consider it in the single day they have been allocated to do so."

Unfortunately, the time for this submission has passed indicating that the Albo government in rushing this through is giving the game way that it is up to no good. I would oppose the Bill myself just on that ground alone!