Labour’s AI policy hands a much wider role to the
online safety regulator, a body that was proposed only to
police the under-16 social media ban.
“There are
legitimate conversations to have about child safety and AI
usage, yet before the Online Safety Bill has even had its
first reading, Labour is proposing widening the
regulator’s mandate far beyond anything to do with
children,” says Jillaine Heather, Executive Director of
the Free Speech Union.
This is the exact government
expansion of the “online safety” infrastructure that the
Free Speech Union has been warning about. A policy sold to
the public as protecting children metamorphoses into a
super-regulator with sweeping powers over adult
speech.
“Labour appears to be unclear on the
details. They have told media that the online regulator may
be independent, while their own release says it will sit
within the Department of Internal Affairs.”
“Kiwis
are being asked to vote on this policy in November. A party
proposing regulation of access to online communication needs
to clearly demonstrate their commitment to Kiwis’
fundamental rights to freedom of expression. Labour has made
no such commitment and we are not holding our
breath.”
Notes:
The Online Safety (Minimum
Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill was brought to
Parliament on the 24th of August, and was supported by
Labour.
About the Free Speech Union
The Free
Speech Union defends the right of New Zealanders, left,
right and centre, to speak, debate, and disagree freely. A
registered trade union and membership-based organisation, we
take cases, run campaigns, and educate on the importance of
free expression in a functioning
democracy.
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