Former Australian model Charlotte Dawson was hospitalised recently because of a relentless attack against her on Twitter . Then there was NRL player Robbie Farah, who received an unkind tweet about his late mother. Farah, it seems, is no stranger to offensive tweeting, having previously suggested that the prime minister get a noose for her birthday.
Offensive tweets, all of a sudden, have become newsworthy, chewing up time on commercial TV news and talkback radio. It’s now deemed as being such a big issue that Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper has launched a “Stop the Trolls” campaign. I know it’s a big issue, because yesterday Stephen Conroy’s office issued a press release saying that the communications minister and attorney-general are in full support of the campaign. The Daily Telegraph and the Labor government rarely agree on anything, but they’re united on this issue.
Is it a coincidence that this support comes at a time when the government is running an inquiry into changes to national security legislation? The proposal is to give authorities access to a broader range of data stored by telecommunications companies. The intent is to fight terrorism and serious crime, but could it also be used to hunt out Twitter trolls?
One of the submissions to the government inquiry came from Brunel University. Andrew Brunatti wrote about the need for a National Digital Identification (NDI) regime. The argument is that as people use multiple devices, it becomes impossible to track suspects online — the digital identity deficit. Under his proposal, any device, email address, or social media account would be linked to the NDI. It sounds a little far-fetched, but Andrew Brunatti suggests on this week’s Twisted Wire that it has to happen sometime.
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Will 2010 be a fizzler?
2009 was a busy year in telecommunications and this year is shaping up for even more change. Or will some of the big promises start to fizzle out?
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The practicality of a job guarantee
Would a job guarantee resolve the battle between inflation and unemployment? Conventional economists argue that when the labour market is tight – and there are few jobs to go around – people ask for more money and that creates inflation. When there are very few jobs – like now – inflation is much lower. The counter argument, from Modern Monetary Theorists, is that a job guarantee would reduce this flux, whilst improving the lifestyles and wellbeing of the population. This week Phil Dobbie asks Steve Keen whether the MMT have got the logic right and, even if they have, can it be practically applied?
To hear the full version subscribe by picking a plan in the right column of the Debunking Economics website (not the mobile app). Or become a supporter at https://www.patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen
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Primus chief fights against forced fibre
The new CEO of Primus Australia, Tom Mazerski, advocates consumer choice. That means the option for consumers to stay with copper and less market control from Telstra.
