We were going to take a relatively steady-as-she-goes approach to the under-16 social media ban this election, given it was not scheduled to be read this year, but breaking news–
Chris Hipkins just released Labour’s AI Action Plan, and it confirms one of our worst fears — they want to censor your access to lawful online communication.
Labour wants a much bigger online speech regulator with a broader remit, and they’re using “child safety” and “AI” as the cover to build it and expand its powers well beyond children – imagine what they’ll do nine months from now!
Hipkins’ announcement today means this fight can’t wait — we need to change tack and mobilise now, making it clear to all voters exactly what’s at stake and making it clear to all politicians that we will publicly campaign against any attempts to smuggle an online safety regulator in under the auspices of an “under-16 ban” or “AI risk”.
They’re not even in Government yet, but they want to take the online safety regulator, first proposed two weeks ago, as part of the “under-16 social media ban” (the Online Safety Bill).
There is no public mandate to gatekeep adults access to lawful communication — this is not a power we should hand to Labour (or to any government!) — can you imagine how tempted some parties will be to use this power to censor what they don’t like?!
Stopping a regulator that can gatekeep what adults are allowed to say and access online is one of our biggest red lines this election.
Labour announces an “online safety regulator” to deal with “AI-enabled harms”
They’re not even in Government yet, but they want to take the online safety regulator, first proposed two weeks ago, as part of the “under-16 social media ban” (the Online Safety Bill),
This was never about child safety
As a mother myself, I worry about social media and the overabundance and access of online influences. There are undoubtedly real harms out there. But I oppose broad online regulatory powers, because I know how they end up: adults’ speech gets policed, and it doesn’t actually make kids any safer. Labour has already shown their hand and we know where this leads. What starts with AI could easily end up with the super regulator being the “single source of truth” – and we know what damage that did to our community!
There are ways to reduce harm online, and there are targeted measures the Free Speech Union has no objection to, like resourcing and enforcing existing laws dealing with child sexual abuse material online and banning non-consensual deepfake pornography.
But look at what’s actually been proposed today: sweeping new territory for this regulator, with no detail on where its limits are. Their own release says it will sit inside the Department of Internal Affairs. Yet they’ve also told media it might be independent instead.
They can’t even agree on where the power will sit, let alone how it will be checked!
The “under-16 ban” and “AI risks” are being used as trojan horses for something much bigger: far greater government control over what New Zealanders can access and say online.
And once it’s been built – no government in power is likely to remove it.
We need to fight back now, while it’s still just a proposal, not law.
Best wishes,
Jillaine Heather,
Executive Director | The Free Speech Union
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