The Albanese Government’s latest online safety laws would expressly authorise Australia’s eSafety Commissioner to operate fake online identities and generate content using artificial intelligence.

The proposed Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill defines a “sock puppet identity” as a false or fictitious identity assumed while using an online service.

Under the government’s exposure draft, the eSafety Commissioner would be permitted to assume such identities to perform regulatory functions.

What’s more, the draft expressly authorises the Commissioner to use these identities to “generate material using an online service (including by means of artificial intelligence),” provided producing, possessing or disseminating that material is not otherwise illegal.

The independent statutory review of the Online Safety Act specifically recommended giving the regulator authority to use fake, anonymous or pseudonymous accounts to observe or interact with online services.

The government says the accounts are intended to test platforms and their algorithms, not to surveil individual Australians.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has said such accounts could, for example, allow the regulator to test whether platforms are actually applying age-assurance measures as claimed.

But why should an unelected government regulator require the legal power to create fake identities, interact anonymously with online services and generate AI material?

The powers come as the broader Digital Duty of Care proposal would impose obligations on online services to mitigate government-defined categories of harm. According to the Prime Minister’s announcement, failure to comply could attract penalties of up to $109.2 million.

But even if we assume the best intentions here, the issue is always bigger than what the present eSafety Commissioner intends to do.

Laws always outlive their initial architects. Powers granted for one supposedly benevolent purpose can later be exercised by different people, against different targets, under different definitions of “harm.”

At the very least, a government that wants the power to police fake accounts while simultaneously authorising its online safety regulator to operate fake accounts of its own should expect Australians to question its credibility.

Sui social si scatena la campagna a sostegno della ragazza che ha denunciato l'aggressione

The US Coast Guard said Friday that its forces intercepted a ship that was attempting to bring fuel to Cuba, as the US continues to enforce a ramped-up oil embargo on the country, which has caused a devastating humanitarian crisis. The Coast Guard said that the incident occurred in early September, when a “Coast Guard […]

These pages contain videos that focus on the truth.

Dalla pizza al cappuccino, dallo spritz al parmigiano: tutti gli errori e le abitudini che i turisti stranieri importano in Italia

Trump said Clayton will lead the White House's new "Super Intelligence Force," which will coordinate government engagement with artificial intelligence.

(Image credit: Mariam Zuhaib)

The Greens have been branded the UK's first openly antisemitic party after members voted for a 'Zionism is Racism' motion calling for a single Palestinian state and the abolition of Israel.

The post Greens Labelled ‘First Openly Antisemitic Party in the UK’ as Members Approve Zionism is Racism Motion appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

By Salma El Wardany Oct 4, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Iraq’s state tanker company arranged a very large crude carrier to transport 2 million barrels beyond the Strait of Hormuz, marking a move...

The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday vowed that it would intensify attacks on Ukrainian military sites and related infrastructure after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would double down on its attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. “Following Zelensky’s statement today, the Russian Armed Forces will step up strikes on military and defense industry facilities, as […]

DENVER (Scripps News Group) A Colorado Springs man was sentenced Friday to 76 years in prison in connection to a March 2025 deadly shooting in Denver.

Augustine Vega, 37, was convicted in March of second-degree murder, aggravated robbery and burglary, among other charges.

Prosecutors say on March 8, 2025, Vega robbed a convenience store on South Colorado Boulevard then shot and killed David Maffet, 35, in the 2900 block of South Vine Street. Denver police said Vega and Maffet were known to each other.

Vega was arrested by Nebraska State Patrol troopers the following day after a high-speed chase near Gothenburg, Nebraska.

A firearm was found inside the vehicle, according to NSP.

United Airlines has been sending military hardware to Israel on passenger flights, right under your feet.

A new report from the People’s Embargo for Palestine, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and others documents 2,761 shipments of military cargo to Israeli weapons manufacturers and military institutions, including Elbit Systems, Lockheed Martin Israel, Nevatim Airbase, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Belal Elsiesy, organizer with the PYM and the People’s Arms Embargo, joins Zoe Alexandra to break down the findings.

With cargo including F-35 bomb release units used to drop 2,000-pound bombs on Gaza, Merkava tank sights, and “hunter-killer” machine gunner sights destined for Elbit, Elsiesy argues civilian airports are a critical point of intervention. He also discusses what’s behind Elbit’s US rebrand as 26 Defense, how campaigns against Maersk and FedEx have targeted the weak links in Israel’s weapons supply chain, and why the airline’s silence on the #NoWeaponsOnUnited campaign is a good reason to act now.

Watch full episodes of BT Live, join breakthroughnews.org as a member today!

Rashad al-Alimi, the head of the Riyadh-based Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, announced on Sunday that Saudi-backed forces were launching a major offensive aimed at capturing all areas of Yemen under the control of Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis. Al-Alimi has been based largely in Saudi Arabia for more than a decade, having left […]

Seven months into the latest Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon, the extent of the damage is nothing short of staggering. Israeli officials have been open about using the Gaza model in Lebanon, and about a desire to make certain villages, particularly Shi’ite villages “disappear.” Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is warning that post war reconstruction, which […]

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denied a report from Axios that claimed members of the Iranian delegation who attended the UN General Assembly in New York City were “kicked out” of the country. The report from Axios reporter Barak Ravid, which cited an unnamed US official, said two Iranian officials left after ignoring an early State […]

Israeli forces killed at least 10 Palestinians in Gaza over the past three days, according to numbers from Gaza’s Health Ministry, as the IDF continues its constant violations of the US-backed ceasefire deal. In that same time, at least five Palestinians died of wounds sustained by previous Israeli attacks, and one body was recovered from […]

Amish families in upstate New York are confronting an impossible choice: violate their deeply held religious convictions and vaccinate their children, or face financial destruction at the hands of state bureaucrats. Three small Amish private [...]

The post Big Pharma Declares War on ‘World’s Healthiest Children’: Amish Forced to Vaccinate Kids or Pay Massive Daily Fines appeared first on The People's Voice.

Red Bull takes its first win of 2026 at Sepang, while Antonelli’s championship lead over Russell grows to 84 points

Since invading southern Lebanon in early March, Israel has sustained relatively few casualties, compared to the thousands of slain Lebanese. This weekend was an outlier, however, with two different incidents of IDF casualties reported. The largest incident was on Saturday, when a pair of Israeli military vehicles collided near Rab al-Thalathine, a rural village in […]

British banker and whistleblower Simon Andriesz, who exposed Howard Lutnick’s financial and personal links to Jeffrey Epstein and the elite pedophile network, has been found dead in suspicious circumstances. He was 57. The British banker [...]

The post Epstein Whistleblower Found Dead After Exposing Howard Lutnick’s Role In Elite Pedophile Ring appeared first on The People's Voice.

The Bishop of Leeds is urging Catholics to 'live simply' to protect the planet. But why are bishops banging on about climate change when they're supposed to be saving souls? asks Roger Watson.

The post Saving the Planet, One Pastoral Letter at a Time appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.