grodscorp@grods.comPolitics on the internets
 | Posted by Scott on Saturday 4 August 2007, 3:42 pm Categories: Australia Decides '07, The Internet Tags: CoatOfArms, DavidReynolds, KevinRuddSucks |
During the week Jeremy had an interesting post about the future of internet-based political shit flinging:
You know how under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 election material is supposed to identify who’s behind it (s328)? The ubiquitous “authorised by L Crosby for the Liberal Party Canberra”, etc?
Well, according to the AEC, that no longer applies on the internet - despite section 328A. You can create a smear site attacking a party, registered on a US host that boasts about its ability to keep site owners’ identities secret, completely anonymously and the AEC’s attitude is that it can do nothing. You can say anything you like, no matter how untrue, and the AEC’s response is that it can do nothing.
Recently I’ve been lazily watching a pathetic political forum, Kevin Rudd Sucks, that popped up on the tubes a few months back. It’s just a bunch of idiots talking crap (unlike proper websites like this one where intelligent and reasoned debate abound) and bagging Rudd (unlike proper websites like this one that are totally non-partisan) but at least it’s got a tiny authorised by at the bottom of the page. However, I noticed a curious icon in the address bar when I checked in this morning:
A quick surf around some Commonwealth government websites reveals that David Reynolds of 9 Cottee St, Lismore, is probably in breach of Sections 53 (c) (d) and (e) of the Trade Practices Act 1974, Section 145.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 or Section 39(2) of the Trade Marks Act 1995.
Why go to the hassle of registering a domain name like kevinruddsucks.com with a US company called Domains By Proxy to conceal your identity when you’re just going to slap your name and address on the bottom of the site anyway? Illegally using the Commonwealth Coat of Arms to boot?
Saturday 4 August 2007, 8:08 pm #Mikey
Tell the AEC.
Saturday 4 August 2007, 11:51 pm #jLo
Ahahahaha, the coat of arms? Freaking hilarious.