THE AUSTRALIAN
RACHEL BAXENDALE
Internet retailers will join a Jewish group, the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission, in an Australian-first “anti-cyber-hate” campaign aimed at preventing the sale of books and items such as Nazi memorabilia that could promote hatred of particular groups.
The initiative, involving companies such as eBay, Gumtree, Booktopia, Angus and Robertson and thenile.com.au, was praised yesterday by the free-market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, which said action by corporate entities was a good way to deal with hate speech without resorting to laws such as section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.
The commission and the companies will meet in March to draw up guidelines aimed at preventing hateful items being put up for sale, and at making it easier to report items of concern.
ADC chairman Dvir Abramovich said companies had a moral responsibility to ensure they did not sell items that promoted hatred.
“People are allowed to publish and sell whatever they want but we don’t believe companies should offer their platform as a tool for hatemongers, bigots, white supremacists or racists,” Dr Abramovich said.
“This represents an unprecedented opportunity for giant online retailers in Australia to come together to develop new and effective strategies to help make the internet safer, and to ensure that the preachers of hate are not given a mainstream platform to disseminate their vile ideologies that vilify and foment violence.”
He hoped other companies would sign up to the initiative.
IPA director of policy Simon Breheny said the ADC’s proposal was the perfect example of how regulation of free speech should work in a free society.
“While on the one hand I’d be against moves by government to regulate speech in this way, where private organisations join together to decide the limits of speech and appropriateness of products, that’s a good thing,” Mr Breheny said.