australia
The Aussie experiment with ‘online safety’ is going about as well as you would expect
The Australian eSafety Commissioner is using the Online Safety Act to force online platforms to take down certain videos, or else. The Anglosphere is in the midst of yet another drawn-out battle questioning the limits of freedom of speech, online safety, and the ability for online users to share information on their social media networks.…
How Donald Trump Can Beat Europe’s Tech Regulations
If there is one bright spot in Trump’s trade threats, it is that the conversation on how to improve the global regulatory space for the average consumer has been recalibrated. President Trump’s tariff-heavy trade agenda is quickly proving unpopular with Americans, which might explain why the administration worked overtime to rebrand tariffs as “liberation” from foreign partners who treated…
Class action hunters take aim at Australia
In line with common law tradition, the class action system was set up in Australia to address wrongs and deliver justice for ordinary people. But because of a lack of action from politicians and policymakers, it has instead funnelled rivers of gold to faceless foreign investors with a stake in gaming the system. It’s become…
Lawfare is bleeding the economy
It’s perplexing that Australian policymakers would roll out the red carpet for those who oppose the resources sector — the very industry that drives and powers national prosperity. Why kneecap your own champions that fund your successful industry? The single most egregious example of this economic self-harm is so-called “lawfare”; the gaming of the legal…
Consumers dudded by secret class action suits
We are no strangers to settling our problems in court. Indeed, it is a core function of citizens in free societies. Staffed by esteemed judges and sometimes juries, people who believe they’ve been wronged can take their claims before a neutral tribunal to plead their case in hopes of a positive outcome and settlement, whether…
Australia’s own media law isn’t helping news consumers either
In a news conference in Ottawa earlier this month, Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez sought to provide context for the tech industry’s reaction to the recently passed C-18, which outlines a process for media organizations to arrange deals with tech companies for ad revenue. Since the bill was enacted, both Meta and Google have taken steps…
Bloomberg’s influence on the WHO, Gamestop Hearings, Aussie Facebook News Takedown (Yaël on Joe Catenacci Show)
-Michael Bloomberg’s influence on the World Health Organization and the forever Nanny State https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/michael-bloomberg-propels-the-whos-nanny-state-mission-creep -Gamestop hearings on Capitol Hill. They’re pushing for a financial transaction tax! -Australia tries its hand at a “link tax” and gets shut down by Facebook. The pendulum always swings back. Consumer Choice Center Deputy Director Yaël Ossowski interviewed on the…
Aussie Bushfires and CNN’s poor debate – Consumer Choice Radio (18. Jan. 2020)
Broadcast 18. January 2020 on The Big Talker 106.7FM. Hosts: Yaël Ossowski & David Clement Welcome to Consumer Choice Radio, a weekly conversation featuring the latest news, interviews, and expert analysis that covers consumer topics around the world. Shownotes Link: https://consumerchoicecenter.org/radio/ep2/