Slashdot Mirror
South Australia Outlaws Anonymous Political Speech
Sabriel writes "If you're online in South Australia and want to comment about the upcoming state election, be prepared to hand over your real name and postcode first — because this month it becomes illegal to do so anonymously (even under a pseudonym). Media organizations must keep your details on file for six months and face 'fines of $5000 if they do not hand over this information to the Electoral Commissioner.' This abomination was passed with the support of both major parties (Labour and Liberal), and to quote its sponsor, Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, 'There is no impinging on freedom of speech, people are free to say what they wish as themselves, not as somebody else.' Apparently incapable of targeting a few impostors without resorting to 'nuke it from orbit' legislative tactics, Atkinson has forgotten that protecting anonymity is important to the democratic process; hopefully both major parties will get a reminder come the polls on March 20."
This is no infringement on free speech. Yes, anonymity may be useful if you're blowing the whistle on wrong-doing by the powerful, but in normal political debate anonymity is a bad thing. When you see a thousand comments with a thousand different names all supporting the same view, how do you know whether it's a widely held view or one loon with nine hundred and ninety nine sock puppets? How do you know whether it's astroturf by a foreign corporation or foreign government meddling in your affairs?
You don't.
This law doesn't stop anyone expressing any political opinion they like. All it does is require that they are prepared to put their name to it.
This isn't denying freedom: it's protecting freedom by preventing manipulation.
(And no, I'm not going to 'post anonymously')
I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
True, all elections are rigged, no matter what you do, a politician always wins.
but a person who identifies himself or herself as “Conservative” will tend to vote on issues, not party – jumping to a third-party or even a Democrat candidate in the rare case when the Democrat is more conservative.
What kind of crack are you smoking? There are way more self-identified conservatives who mindlessly vote Republican than there are those who vote on the issues.
The same could somewhat be said of people who identify as “Liberal”, but there are fewer of them,
What kind of crack are you smoking? There are at least as many self-identified liberals as there are conservatives. Probably a lot more.
... and then they built the supercollider.
You take a phone poll as evidence?
... and then they built the supercollider.
Right, your opinion is more credible. Sorry about that.
Thanks for the apology.
I’ll just go tell the national news media outlets that they have had it all wrong for all these years.
I think they're already well aware of that, they just keep up the masquerade for the few remaining readers/viewers/listeners.
... and then they built the supercollider.