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Digital Rights Watch

@drwaus.bsky.social

2.5K followers 79 following 140 posts

We fight for human rights in the digital age. www.digitalrightswatch.org.au

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · Oct 23

Hello new followers! We are Digital Rights Watch. Our mission is to ensure that people in Australia are equipped, empowered and enabled to uphold their digital rights.

You can find us here:
🕸️ digitalrightswatch.org.au
🐘 aus.social/@drwaus
📸 instagram.com/drwaus/
💻 linkedin.com/company/drwa...

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 8h

We're excited to share a piece written by our very own Chair Lizzie O'Shea.

'AI has been pitched as the great solution of the modern age - but the unfettered growth of this new technology could come at the expense of everything we hold dear.'

Check it out here:

On its current trajectory, AI is inconsistent with democracy, sustainability, and autonomy

By Lizzie O'Shea

cheekmedia.substack.com

Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 4d

We were pleased to be invited to give evidence for the inquiry into the National Cultural Policy last week.

It's crucial that human rights of individual artists to own their creative works are protected, not exploited.

Video here: youtu.be/sTZCuXuOoIU...

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 7d

We must be aware of the risks of a lack of human oversight over the work of generative AI. All the more reason for proper AI regulation. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/06/deloitte-to-pay-money-back-to-albanese-government-after-using-ai-in-440000-report

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 12d

It's almost like banning kids from the internet isn't the answer to predatory social media algorithms pushing radical views and mis / disinformation

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 15d

Better regulation of Internet Search Engines and Social Media companies is definitely required but the current safety codes under consideration are not adequate. A simple ban of young people from social media will harm them.

Read our full submission here: digitalrightswatch.o...

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 15d

In it, we call on the committee to reject in their entirety the online safety codes for both Internet Search Engines and Social Media Minimum Age, and delay implementation of the codes until meaningful consultation with expert organisations in the field can inform a better policy direction.

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 15d

Last week we entered a submission into the "Inquiry into the Internet Search Engine Services Online Safety Code and the under 16 social media ban"

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 18d

Register here 👇

Adelaide: shorturl.at/ojQRX
Perth: events.humanitix.com...
Brisbane: events.humanitix.com...
Sydney: events.humanitix.com...
Melbourne events.humanitix.com...

Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 18d

Burning Platforms is Australia’s top tech and politics podcast delving into Big Tech and the consequences of its power.

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 18d

• Learn about the Luddites and how the future can be contested
• Try to tell the difference between an AI and a human
• Ask the tough questions: who knows? who decides? and who decides who decides?
• Featuring special guests from politics and entertainment

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 18d

Our fun and interactive panel event will canvas the big questions and try to come up with a few answers before this juggernaut goes out of control.

Come along to meet and mingle with people who care.

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 20d

Our jobs. Our culture. Our democracy. All up for grabs by emerging ‘AI’ technology.

Our fun and interactive panel event will canvass the big questions and try to come up with a few answers. Come along to meet and mingle with people who care.

Adelaide, you're first up!

unisa.edu.au/connect...

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 20d

Our jobs. Our culture. Our democracy. All up for grabs by emerging 'AI' technology.

Our fun and interactive panel event will canvass the big questions and try to come up with a few answers.

First stop is Adelaide. Grab your free ticket here: unisa.edu.au/connect...

Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 21d

Rather than ineffective and anti-privacy measures which will still leave vulnerable people exposed to harm, we need to adopt methods of ensuring child safety online that start with dismantling predatory social media algorithms.

From zero to neo-Nazis: what under-16s may see under Australia’s social media ban, simply by not logging in

Guardian Australia test finds scrolling shortform videos while logged out of YouTube and TikTok quickly leads to gambling, violent and far-right content

www.theguardian.com

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 25d

Age-verification is an invasion of privacy. The technologies behind it are gender- and racially-biased and least effective where it most matters - for those ages close to 16.
It needs to be abandoned for methods which respect privacy and effectively protect children online.

www.theguardian.com/...

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 27d

What is “Sovereign AI”?

It is a term often invoked but rarely defined. A National AI Plan is due by the end of 2025 and the Tech Policy Design Institute is holding consultations nationally from 18-26 September to hear from civil society about this. Join in here:

share.hsforms.com/1X...

Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 28d

Climate change disinformation is pervasive, coordinated and highly damaging to democratic debate and urgent climate action.

Read our full submission here: digitalrightswatch.o...

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 28d

We recently made a submission to the Select Committee on Information Integrity on Climate Change and Energy highlighting how big tech companies are directly contributing to mis and disinformation due to their engagement and advertising based business models.

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 28d

Yesterday the Government released the national climate risk assessment report. Have you seen any mis or disinformation in comment sections? It could well be bots!

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · 29d

Today is the final day to make a submission to the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into AI and Data.

Use our quick submission generator to tell decision-makers how AI should (and shouldn’t) shape Australia’s future.

Make sure your voice is counted.

digitalrightswatch.o...

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · Aug 11

AI expert and author Professor Toby Walsh FAA FTSE FRSN Walsh
Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett
Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O'Shea FAAL O’Shea
Australian Writers Guild CEO Claire Pullen
with MC Peter Lewis

Register here: events.humanitix.com...
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Stolen Property: Big Tech’s Push to Mine Our Culture

A special briefing for cultural creators and those who value their work, discussing Big Tech and their insatiable appetite for our cultural capital.

events.humanitix.com

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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · Aug 11

📍 what the Productivity Commission’s proposal to give AI companies a ‘right to mine data’ will do to Australian creatives and private citizens; and
📍 how creatives and citizens can resist the attacks from Big Tech's AI push.

The panel:
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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · Aug 11

📍 how AI large language models have been built on the theft of the work of musicians, writers, journalists, & artists, as well as people's personal information;
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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · Aug 11

Copyright and AI have been all over the dial recently. We're going to talk with some smart people about the AI threats to creative Australians. Join us for this zesty online briefing on the 12th August.

We'll discuss:
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Digital Rights Watch @drwaus.bsky.social · May 14

Noticed the growing use of AI in job interviews? Looks like outsourcing this work to Clippy is not only deeply disrespectful to applicants, but littered with discrimination (surprise!)

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

People interviewed by AI for jobs face discrimination risks, Australian study warns

Data used to train artificial intelligence does not ‘reflect the demographic groups we have in Australia’, says researcher

www.theguardian.com

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