Craig Kelly, Famously Booted Off Facebook, Wants People Jailed For De-Platforming Politicians
Kelly's suggestion was not included in the list of official recommendations.
United Australia Party leader Craig Kelly has suggested the government introduce penalties such as imprisonment for social media platforms if they de-platform or shadow-ban politicians. Kelly was permanently booted off Facebook in April 2021 for repeatedly spreading COVID-19 medical misinformation.
In his submission to the Inquiry into Social Media and Online Safety — which was published as part of the report on Wednesday morning — Kelly asserted that censoring and de-platforming politicians is a threat to free speech and democracy in Australia.
“Open and free elections in Australia are threatened by social media giants censoring and de-platforming the political arguments and policy platforms of election candidates and registered political parties,” Kelly’s submission read, in part. “The censorship, secret shadow-banning and de-platforming of candidates or political parties by social media giants acting as ‘platforms’ (and not as publishers) during an election campaign, places that candidate at a competitive disadvantage to other candidates.
“This amounts direct foreign interference in Australian elections and poses a grave threat to our nation’s democracy.”
Throughout his lengthy submission, Kelly likened social media to the old “town square” — where the public could debate issues, asserting that platforms have privatised the concept.
“Social media platforms such Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and TikTok now dominate what was once the ‘town square’ — the public place available to allcomers, the place where ideas were rigorously debated, impassioned political speeches made, and where discussion on controversial subjects occurred. These social media giants have today in effective privatised the old ‘town square’,” said Kelly.
At this point, it truly cannot be stressed enough that Kelly was de-platformed by Facebook as a result of his continual decision to share harmful medical misinformation during an already deadly pandemic. This is not a threat against free speech, it is the absolute bare minimum that needs to be done to protect the health and safety of users.
While Kelly asserts in his submission that these platforms have “blood on their hands” for de-platforming those spreading medical misinformation, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
“By their conduct of de-platforming medical doctors and censoring expert medical opinion & the scientific evidence on early COVID treatments, the social media giants, You-Tube, FaceBook & Twitter have prevented free and open debate on effective early treatment, contributing (in the opinion of highly qualified medical experts) to countless additional hospitalisations and deaths. There is no other conclusion that You-Tube, FaceBook and Twitter have ‘’blood on their hands’’ as a result of their censorship and suppression of debate,” said Kelly.
In his suggestions as to how to tackle the alleged issue of social media censorship, Kelly states that “in short, if it’s lawful to say in the town square at a public meeting, it should be unlawful for foreign social media giants to censor it.”
“Penalties under the s327 of Electoral Act 1918 include imprisonment for hindering or interfering with a persons free exercise of a political right of liberty. Consistent with the criminal penalties in the existing laws for interference in Australian elections, senior management of the social media platforms should likewise face imprisonment for interfering in Australian elections by engaging in any conduct that censors, shadow-bans or deplatforms any candidate for political office engaging in otherwise lawful political debate,” his official recommendation states.
A total of 26 recommendations are listed in the report — tackling various aspects of social media and internet safety — but Kelly’s suggestions did not make the cut.