A US free speech warrior was a “secret weapon” in derailing the Albanian government’s disinformation bill, but warns the fight against censorship is far from over.
After the Greens, the Coalition and senators from both parties announced they would oppose the bill that would strengthen a watchdog to monitor the internet for “harmful misinformation or disinformation”, the Albanian government was forced to withdraw legislation on Sunday.
US activist Michael Shellenberger met several senators in Canberra last week to lobby against the disinformation bill, with some, such as Victorian independent MP David Van, tweeting thanks.
However, even with the rejection of the proposed laws, Shellenberger stated that “there is still a lot of work to be done to detoxify the institutions.”
‘There is only one thing to counter disinformation, it is accurate information, censorship is not a strategy to counter disinformation, censorship simply represses. “It’s an act of power and oppression,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“There is a generation of young people who still don’t understand it.”
He also warned against the Albanian government’s attempt to ban under-16s from accessing social media, which looked set to become law this week with the support of the Coalition.
“I’m a father and I have two children who are negatively affected by social media, so I’m very sympathetic to the goal,” he said.
US free speech advocate Michael Shellenberger (pictured right) met Victorian independent senator David Van last week in Canberra to lobby against the disinformation bill.
‘But you have to wonder how they are going to enforce this and whether they are going to do it in a way that allows censorship through the back door.
“I think the people of Australia should be suspicious of anything this prime minister tries to do.”
Mr. Shellenberger, who founded the successful news and opinion outlet, Publicand author of three books on politics, said it was particularly galling that the disinformation bill had exempted governments from censorship laws.
“There is no greater provider of disinformation than the government and if governments are going to censor now, they are going to censor the truth,” he said.
‘Governments said Covid came from a wet market, well most intelligence agencies now think it came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
‘The US government said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction which led to the invasion of Iraq. That turned out to be misinformation.
“They want to censor accurate information because that’s what threatens their ability to propagandize and get their way.”
Shellenberger said freedom of expression is vitally important but is under global attack.
‘Freedom of expression is the key to everything. It is the first freedom and we have to take the lead again,” he said.
“Everywhere in the world there are deep-state swamp creatures who believe they have some right to decide what people can say.
Shellenberger (pictured left) debates on stage with American television science show host Bill Nye
“When people realize what the deep state is trying to do, they rebel, they get outraged and that’s happening in Australia.”
Shellenberger, who has more than 1.5 million followers on his various social media platforms, first became involved in politics in the deeply progressive California college town of Berkeley.
After being part of left-wing environmental groups, Shellenbeger ran as the Democratic candidate for governor of California in 2018, but said he now struggles to understand why the political left has become the main threat to free speech.
‘I have changed my mind on various issues over the years, but I have never changed my mind on freedom of expression. “I have been in favor of freedom of expression all my life,” said Mr. Shellenberger.
‘The left is the heir to the civil rights movement, the gay rights movement, each of those movements required freedom of expression and each and every one of them fought against censorship.
Shellenberger said Elon Musk (pictured left) buying Twitter and Donald Trump regaining the US presidency were turning points in winning the war against censors.
‘Now the care and compassion of progressives is only for the so-called victims. They became woke and wokeness is a theology of victimhood and a theology of victimhood divides all people into victims and oppressors, you are a victim or we are an oppressor.’
He issued a warning, sharing his belief that George Orwell’s predictions in the novel 1984 resonate powerfully with the current state of today’s society.
‘I re-read George Orwell’s 1984 a few months ago and was surprised by how relevant it was. It didn’t feel like an old book, it felt like a book that could have been written about what’s happening now.
‘Orwell said that totalitarianism would arise from bureaucracy. The left controls the administrative state, the professional management class, and wants power.
Shellenberger and American podcaster Joe Rogan
Shellenberger said two catastrophic events have disrupted the left’s war on free speech: the re-election of Donald Trump and the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk, now known as X.
‘Before, politicians could control the media and the media could control politicians. “Social media has changed the rules of the game,” said Shellenberger.
‘The deep state’s control over Twitter was very similar to the Catholic Church’s control over doctrine.
“It lasted for a while, but at some point Martin Luther came along and used the printing press against the church. That’s Elon Musk, he’s the Martin Luther of social media.
“Turn this powerful technology into a tool for the people.”
Shellenberger was brought to Australia by the right-wing think tank Institute of Public Affairs, as part of its campaign against the disinformation bill.
He left for England to challenge the UK government’s hate speech laws, following a series of prosecutions for social media posts during the riots earlier this year.