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Why PM Albanese and PM Starmer are Censoring and Surveilling Ordinary Citizens.

The Australian Government under Anthony Albanese apparently aspires to lead the world in online censorship - he has a lot of competition.

Albanese proudly introduced the world first under16 ban on social media - which META - a greater censor, has since denigrated.

In Australia verification will soon be required for internet searches, removing all anonymity and privacy.

Albanese is also cooperating with his counterpart in the UK to possibly ban X after Grok was found to have been generating non-consensual images of undressed women.

Following the Bondi Tragedy, the Government will introduce, The Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026, which will criminalise speech that merely causes fear, even if no harm occurs, with the prospect of 5 years in prison.

Kier Starmer insists free speech is protected in his realm but Britain holds the record for the most arrests for social media posts, far higher than dictator lead Russia. According to an April 2025 freedom of information report filed by The Times, over 12,000 people were arrested, including for social media posts, in 2023. The report found that the number of annual arrests had more than doubled since 2017.

Still in the UK, OFCOM is set to receive powers under the Online Safety Act to scan encrypted chats using so-called "client-side scanning," where messages are checked on users' devices before encryption.

Many of these measures purport to protect children and victims of religious and other serious crimes, but these measures are not fit for purpose. They don’t pass the pub test.

Is increasing censorship and surveillance of everyday consumers simply a power grab by politicians - or does this indicate a deeper concern about growing social unrest. Is this an admission that they have lost control of law and order so we must all guilty until proven innocent.

Or do our leaders simply need lessons on the principals of liberty and their benefits to society and how to govern in democracies.

Mike Ryan HOST

GUESTS:

David Atherton is a political commentator, Journalist, broadcaster, libertarian, and an advocate for free markets & free speech finally he's a self proclaimed "Selfish smoker".

John Shipton is the father of Julian Assange. A retired builder, he spent many years campaigning around the world, seeking the release of his son.

Alex Kriel is a Russian speaker, a physicist by training and was one of the first people to highlight the flawed nature of the Imperial COVID model4, he is a founder of the Thinking Coalition which comprises a group of citizens who are concerned about Government overreach (www.thinkingcoalition.com). You can find him on X at: @ThinkingSlow1 and subscribe to his Substack at: thinkingcoalition.substack.com

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