Dr Reuben Kirkham: Misinformation Bill - Single Arbiter of Truth?

SUMMARY:
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In this presentation, a computer scientist and self-trained law expert walks through why the Misinformation Bill mattered — and why he brought a computer to demonstrate it! As someone both fascinated and alarmed by the legislation, the speaker explains how the Bill would have empowered a single arbiter to write codes that dictate what platforms must remove, creating a de facto extra-legal system outside normal judicial review. The presentation reveals how the government's rushed 11-day consultation was turned on its head by building a simple tool that helped over 25,000 people lodge submissions, yet the Senate committee has only published 104 so far. The talk explains how the eSafety Commissioner has already been operating in that grey area, how companies like GoDaddy comply without meaningful appeals, and why that's a huge free speech issue. The speaker also places the Misinformation Bill in context with the Privacy, Hate Speech and 'kids off social media' bills, and explains a leaked-notice legal challenge with a court date on 13 December. It's a raw, urgent conversation about regulation, power and digital rights that reveals the serious implications of government control over online information.

RUMBLE DESCRIPTION:
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In this presentation, computer scientist Reuben Kirkham explains why the Albanese government's Misinformation Bill deserved serious scrutiny and how thousands of people were rallied to respond. Kirkham was the only speaker who actually brought a computer to this talk, using it to demonstrate the technical implications of the proposed legislation.

The presentation recaps how the government attempted an 11-day consultation period, prompting the creation of a simple tool to help people submit feedback that generated over 25,000 submissions. Despite this response, the Senate committee has only posted 104 of the submissions — highlighting significant transparency concerns. Kirkham explains that the core legal effect of the Bill was deceptively simple: give the eSafety Commissioner the power to issue codes that tell social platforms what to do. Those codes would effectively decide content outcomes, and in practice platforms comply — often without meaningful avenues for appeal. The presentation shows how takedowns have already been encouraged by the Commissioner, even involving providers like GoDaddy.

The talk discusses how this legislation was part of a wider campaign of laws — the Privacy Bill, the Hate Speech Bill, and the kids-on-social media measures — and why stopping the Misinformation Bill was important. Kirkham also outlines a leaked notice that was discovered and the legal challenge that was heading to court on 13 December.

For those interested in free speech, digital rights, and how regulation actually happens online, this presentation offers crucial insights into these debates that affect everyone in Australia.

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