In an idea floated by Independent Senator Nick Xenophon, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is investigating the introduction of an “online ombudsman”. In a nutshell, this ombudsman would deal with issues such as pornographic and obscene messages being left on the Facebook memorial sites for Trinity Bates and Elliot Fletcher, both recent Queensland murder victims.
Personally, whilst I agree that this sort of activity is despicable, I would question the feasibility of establishing such a system in the first place. Given the complex web of responsibility and legislation under which social media sites operate, I can’t see an online ombudsman being successful in negotiating content removal on behalf of those making the original complaint.
Putting aside those issues, is it really up to the Commonwealth Government to police websites for these incidents all in the name of the “sensible use of the Internet“?
Not everyone is bestowed with the same level of sensibility, maturity and intelligence. Bullying has been around for ages. I know I copped a bit in school for my appearance, the way I carried myself and also for maintaining my ethics and independent thought despite peer pressure. Whilst these experiences can test one’s mettle, I don’t think it could ever be truly eliminated. The Internet is simply another channel for this sort of behaviour and whilst it does afford a degree of anonymity, removing the content from the Internet doesn’t address the root cause.
I shouldn’t be surprised that politicians often don’t know anything about the portfolios for which they are responsible. They rely on their advisers for that sort of thing. Putting aside a major shakeup of the political mechanics in Australia, it would be great to have people who have half a clue about their portfolios.
One can dream.
In the meantime, I think the concept of an online ombudsman is a misdirected attempt to address inappropriate online activity. If it ever does come to fruition, I’m not sure that it will kick the goals expected of the politicians and the uninformed public.
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