South Australia outlaws anonymity, pseudonymity in online poiltical debate
The South Australian Government has passed laws that may effectively censor political speech during election times.
The new law, which came into force on January 6, requires internet bloggers, and anyone making a comment on next month's state election, to publish their real name and postcode when commenting on an election story on South Australian news websites and blogs, and also applies to Twitter and Facebook. In other words, in South Australia one cannot comment anonymously or use a pseudonym when debating politics online.
The law was sponsored by South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson who, by the way, is generally perceived as being the leading figure opposing an adult 'R18+' rating in Australia.
The new law, which came into force on January 6, requires internet bloggers, and anyone making a comment on next month's state election, to publish their real name and postcode when commenting on an election story on South Australian news websites and blogs, and also applies to Twitter and Facebook. In other words, in South Australia one cannot comment anonymously or use a pseudonym when debating politics online.
The law was sponsored by South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson who, by the way, is generally perceived as being the leading figure opposing an adult 'R18+' rating in Australia.