October 23rd 2024.
A group of media organizations in Australia have raised concerns about proposed privacy laws that could potentially limit the public's access to news stories that reveal unflattering details about celebrities, politicians, and other high-profile individuals. These changes to the Privacy Act have been introduced in response to the growing need to protect people's privacy in the digital age, and they include penalties for "doxxing" – the act of maliciously sharing someone's personal information online without their consent.
However, the coalition of major broadcasters and media outlets, including Nine, the ABC, SBS, Seven West, Ten, The Guardian, and News Corp, have warned that these laws could have a "chilling" effect on journalism and the public's right to be informed. In a submission made earlier this month, they expressed their concern that while the government may be aiming to increase the privacy of individuals, they are also limiting Australians' access to important information about political, social, and economic matters that are crucial for their participation in democracy.
The coalition, known as Australia's Right To Know, argues that the exemptions for journalism in the proposed legislation are too narrow and could potentially be used as a means for celebrities, politicians, and other wealthy public figures to silence unflattering stories that the public has a right to know. They fear that these laws could essentially become tools for these individuals to suppress any information that goes against the image they want to portray.
Nine's executive counsel, Kiah Officer, spoke about this issue at a parliamentary committee hearing, stating that there is a genuine public interest in limiting the ability of people to suppress news reports and use the courts to suppress investigations into their activities. As a result, ARTK has called for several amendments to the proposed legislation, including a more robust exemption for journalists and publishers to continue reporting on matters of public interest.
On the other hand, privacy advocates have urged for these laws to be passed as soon as possible, arguing that Australia's current privacy legislation is outdated. It is worth noting that Nine, the publisher of this website, is also a member of the coalition raising concerns about the proposed laws.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
