There’s been a lot of rhetoric over the past few days about Australia’s competition law-makers (in particular Rod Sims & the ACCC) being corrupted by Murdoch. But I haven’t seen any evidence that that is the case.
Australia is know for its aggressive regulation of corporations. And we're known for having strong competition & consumer law. See plain packaging for tobacco, for example. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_tob…
These media laws are just the beginning. The Digital Platforms Report has multiple recommendations around ad-tech, data-mining, privacy, & mergers.
Not in terms of revenue, of course. The Australian market means nothing financially.
But in terms of regulatory headaches. Facebook will increasingly be seen by governments around the world as a hostile entity potentially at odds with national security.
Today Australians can't share links about emergency warnings for bushfires in their area, or information about local COVID19 clusters.
I really don't think FB can claim to care about "misinformation" when they block the sharing of information that could save people's lives.
See how identity politics collapses all class & moral distinction. ABC reporter @neighbour_s compares man on Left, who is self-made, son of factory workers, to the man on Right, who is a known associate of organised criminals, son of multibillionaire
Am not a fan of Eddie Maguire, don't care about AFL, but these attacks are cretinous.
Perhaps 'known associate' is too strong. 'Let organised criminals wash money in his casinos' is more accurate. Still the comparison between the two men is way, way, off. theguardian.com/business/2020/…
When I was 18-19 I had a boyfriend who was a big fan of Manson. I was too naive to run at the first red flags, but he was mentally disturbed, a heavy drug user, & (surprise) turned violent. He did the things that Manson apparently did to his girlfriends - weird coincidence...
After ending up in hospital one night, with facial injuries, the police (major crime detectives) arrested him (my ex), locked him up, and pressed charges. Going forward & pressing charges in court is one thing I've always been proud of. Gave me a sense of agency
One thing I've learned from running @Quillette is that professionals can be very territorial. Being a member of a particular industry comes with status, a shared language, shared customs, an in-group, a tribe 1/
A big part of academia is the shared language, & shared etiquette. Many academics hate @Quillette because we encroach on their territory but don't pay attention to the etiquette. A clear-thinking undergrad can have more influence on our pages than a tenured professor, for example
The Redditors at r/WallStreetBets are now busting open the territory of finance. It doesn't take long for the average person to understand the language of finance if it is explained clearly... and professional investors are going to be pissed about it