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Technician

New Zealand Out Orwells Australia

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Harmful Digital Communications Bill passes: its key elements

Harmful Digital Communications Bill: key provisions

A fine of up to $50,000 for an individual or up to $200,000 for a body corporate, or up to two years’ jail for posting or sending a “harmful digital communication” – aka cyber-bullying with a post likely to cause distress. The bill covers racist, sexist and religiously intolerant comments, plus those about disabilities or sexual orientation;

Up to three years’ jail for the new crime of incitement to suicide;

An “approved agency” will advocate on behalf of complainants. The aim is that the agency will be able to make direct contact with web publishers and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, where a member of the public often has trouble getting heard (the Law Commission has recommended NetSafe be the approved agency; the non-profit NetSafe’s backers include InternetNZ, the NZPolice, the Ministry of Education and private companies);

If the approved agency makes no headway, a complaint is escalated to a District Court judge; and

Web publishers can opt in to a safe-harbour provision, protecting them from liability (and arguably also crimping free speech) if they agree to take down allegedly offending material on demand or at least within a grace period of 48 hours.

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Oh dear, I've heard about this. This isn't good all-round. There are always going to be people trying to abuse this system from both ends.

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"Little Jimmy will be fine as long as he tells his parents and teachers that he's being bullied"

I sure as shit didn't and look how I turned out.

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You are not a precious snowflake. You might be unique among the rest, but that just means you're uglier than the others. You'll never succeed. You have nothing special. You are not a precious snowflake. I will melt you.

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Fuck this anti-freedom 1984 fucking bullshit.

Jaxxoon R said:

And yet they do jack shit about real bullying.

QFT. /Thread

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Oh my goodness, HEAVEN FORBID poor little Jimmy gets harassed over the internet! Bullying has always existed and will always continue to exist. I was bullied a little back in the day (as were many people) but you know what? You move on. Nobody needed to be charged criminally. Nobody needed anything. We learn, become stronger and move on. It's an unavoidable part of life and bullshit laws like this do absolutely nothing to prevent anything.

But of course I'm not surprised to see this nonsense pass. I expect more things like this in the future. It's all part of the plan folks. Been on the global agenda for quite some time already. "Hmm, how do we suppress the internet next? Shall we try another PIPA or SOPA? Maybe this time it will pass! If not, back to the drawing board..."

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Each new generation is regressing back into childhood more and more and demand the gubment protect them from the world in place of mommy and daddy.

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Technician said:

Each new generation is regressing back into childhood more and more and demand the gubment protect them from the world in place of mommy and daddy.


But Technician, we can't think for ourselves! Remember, the government has to TELL US that drugs are bad. We shouldn't be allowed to make our own rational decisions! However, all that poisonous fast food must be okay because the government hasn't outlawed it! Those corporations say everything is fine! I mean, firecrackers are banned here in Canada. They're obviously terrorist weapons and child destroying devices. Can't be the responsibility of the parents.

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Oh dude, didn't you guys know? All parenthood is these days is popping out a few little fuckers you don't care about for some baby money. Don't bother raising those fuckers - Don't teach them right from wrong, don't mentor them, don't do none a that shit. In fact, make it obvious you don't like them. Because it's not your job, it's not my job, they're making legislature right now that will raise my baby for me while simultaneously restricting everyone else's freedoms! Ain't that shit the bee's knees?

Don't you guys love this future we're living in?

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You may think this bill was rallied for the children but it was really made for people who can't stand conflicting opinions and/or criticisms. Since this is New Zealand, I assume collage age (19 to 30) progressives and Muslims. I don't think NZ has the conservative Christian problem America or Russia has.

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Technician said:

Each new generation is regressing back into childhood more and more and demand the gubment protect them from the world in place of mommy and daddy.


I'm glad it's not just me feeling that way. Not to mention, even well into adulthood, they seem strangely terrified of quite a few things that shouldn't really scare anyone, leading many of them to act in ways that are very shady and distasteful out of sheer neurosis.

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Kontra Kommando said:

This needs to be fought, tooth and nail.

TO THE FORUMS, MEN!

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so wait, I can call someone from NZ a cockmongler and they cannot retort becuz Law?

This is the best thing ever. I can actually troll someone into jail.

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darknation said:

This is the best thing ever. I can actually troll someone into jail.

I'm surprised this law didn't hit the UK first.

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dew said:

TO THE FORUMS, MEN!


Yes to the forums, because I'm not in New Zealand. And what exactly are you so proud of accomplishing? You don't even know how to properly debate an issue. You don't even know what you're talking about half the time.

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Could be a little difficult enforcing this overseas, maybe they'll send some petty functionary to give darknation a slap over the wrist for being a big meanie. ;)

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Goddamn these are some offensive posts in here.. Better report this to the Cyber-Police.

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Radon said:

Better report this to the Cyber-Police.

Use the correct form, otherwise they might revoke your internet privileges for unnecessarily wasting electrons.

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This is a bad piece of legislation. I only posted here to say that Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a better futuristic novel than 1984, IMHO. A soma a day keeps the doctor away. Now we all have watch our mouths around his Fordship.

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Glaice said:

How exactly do they charge a non-NZer who does this?

That's the funny and obviously nonsensical part, but I'm interested in how this meshes with New Zealand's constitution. Wouldn't the Supreme Court shred the law to bits the moment the first person gets their appeal to it? I have to admit I don't know much about New Zealand's judiciary.

Also yes, 1984 may be the most famous dystopia, but as a book it's kind of dry and boring.

Kontra Kommando: Two reactions to that snark? Damn, you seem agitated. I'm lucky I don't live in New Zealand.

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No kidding about the doubled response from Kontra Kommando. I thought immediately dew was being facetious and the fact that he's knocking on the door of your cause, cool. He's trying to shine a light on what people might perceive you are trying to say. Because you "being sick of this shit" is really open to interpretation.

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Meh, if it's just a place where people can send their complaints, it's not Orwellian at all. Orwellian would be if the agency employed people to actively search for offensive messages to take down.

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The EFF's view is that Section 20 of this act could become the weapon of choice for online bullies, since there are no penalties for misrepresenting content as "harmful" and apparently nothing to stop malicious complainants from submitting the same takedown demand ad nauseam.

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It's not Orwellian... yet.

I just think the whole idea behind this is flawed at it's core.

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