On algorithms, agency must be returned to people

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Critics calling the federal government’s proposed algorithmic opt-out ″⁣censorship″⁣ are misrepresenting the fundamental mechanics of media choice. Censorship requires a central authority to restrict access to information. The only people restricting their feeds will be the users themselves. Reverting a social media feed to a chronological stream of followed accounts removes no content from the public sphere. It simply returns agency to the individual.
The real distortion occurring on tech platforms isn’t government overreach; it’s algorithmic injection. Recommender systems systematically push hyper-targeted, rage-inducing content onto users to maximise engagement – a form of covert, automated propaganda disguised as an organic feed. An opt-out mechanism doesn’t suppress speech; it halts forced exposure. Choosing what to read from sources you explicitly follow is no more ″⁣censorship″⁣ than selecting a book from a shelf.
Graeme Henchel, Yarra Glen

We should have freedom of choice
Waleed Aly (Comment, 4/9) both correctly predicts and skewers the government’s “My Feed, My Way” legislation, which proposes that users can opt out of social media algorithmic content. I agree the laws wrongly frame the response in terms of individual rights. This assumes that users are not addicted to the content and ignores the wider harm to society and democracy.
The prime minister’s assertion that “if people want to doomscroll … that’s fine” assumes this is a right and those doing it are free to choose. Do we make the same assumptions about gambling addicts sitting in front of poker machines?
Founder and CEO of Teach Us Consent, Chanel Contos, makes a convincing argument that algorithms should be opt in, so that social media apps have them off by default. Her proposal that feeds be limited to the pages deliberately followed by users and presented chronologically dovetails nicely with Aly’s Back To The Future II metaphor about fun and harmless tech. As pop group Devo sang: “Freedom of choice/Is what you got/Freedom from choice/Is what you want”. With opting-out provisions we have freedom from choice set as the status quo. But we should have freedom of choice.
Greg Williams, West Footscray

Crackdown should have occurred earlier
The new crackdown on addictive algorithms can’t come soon enough. Future generations will gasp at how we enabled social media companies to run amok. Much of the issues we face as a society, including significant declines in youth mental health, coincide directly with the beginning of this increased daily exposure to the unregulated minefield that is social media. Bravo for this regulation, if only it could have happened over a decade ago.
Roan Plotz, Preston

THE FORUM

Look after your pets
How sad to read of the plight of the Lost Dogs’ Home (″⁣Lost Dogs’ Home trapped in limbo as facility decays″⁣, 9/9). It is incredible to believe that there has been 160 per cent increase in the surrender of animals in the past four years. Sadly, this is likely to increase unless we have compulsory desexing of companion animals (cats and dogs), ban backyard breeding and have only shelters or registered breeders to sell animals. In many cases, these poor surrendered animals have ended up in the shelters because of irresponsible human behaviour.
Tess Vietz, Kew

Unacceptable delay
The government’s six-year delay in finding a new site for the Lost Dogs’ Home is unacceptable. This vital organisation is being forced to spend scarce charitable funds maintaining facilities it cannot properly upgrade, while the government offers no clear solution.
But relocation alone will not address the crisis. How can we justify continuing to breed animals for profit while shelters are overflowing with unwanted dogs and cats, some of whom may ultimately be euthanised when homes cannot be found?
The solution must be threefold: urgently provide the Lost Dogs’ Home with a purpose-built site that prioritises animal welfare; introduce mandatory desexing; and undertake a review of legislation governing the breeding and sale of animals.
Commercially producing more animals while charities struggle to care for those already here is unconscionable. If we are serious about animal welfare, we must stop simply accommodating the consequences and confront the system that creates them.
Amy Grossbard, Caulfield

Grounded name
As I recall, in 1967 when postcodes were brought in it was necessary to look them up in a booklet. The suburb name appeared first, then words like east or west. To my amusement and amazement, I noticed that people came to believe that there were suburbs called Templestowe Lower and Balwyn North, but they were always called Lower Templestowe and North Balwyn when I was a kid. There was at least one exception though: Airport West was always Airport West.
Simon Thornton, Alphington

Toorak calling
The question was raised (Letters, 11/9) whether those taking a Balwyn tram from Collins Street end up in Balwyn or the less socially elevated Balwyn North. Those old enough to remember the Ben Bowyang cartoons by Alex Gurney might recall that Ben’s mate, Bill Smith, had a cousin who was so stuck up that he took a train from the city to Toorak and then walked home to Richmond each night.
Arthur Roberts, Elwood

Security-based win
Prior to the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the Coalition government in Australia was suffering from severe unpopularity and trailed heavily behind Kim Beazley’s Labor Party in the opinion polls.
The national security shock immediately saw a five-point boost in the polls for the Coalition and ultimately led to an unexpected victory in November 2001. There is little doubt that Howard would not have become the second-longest-serving Liberal prime minister behind Robert Menzies without the Twin Towers terrorist attack.
Phil Alexander, Eltham

Achieved nothing
John Howard has said that ″⁣it was only right″⁣ that Australia joined the US in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks. Only right to take part in a fruitless 20-year war that achieved absolutely nothing?
Reg Murray, Glen Iris

Heed Rudd’s warnings
Kevin Rudd spoke at the Press Club this week, and made significant warnings about Australia’s complacency. His key issues were China’s rise, AI and accelerating climate change (″⁣Rudd warns nation on borrowed time″⁣, 11/9).
All these are related, and require integrated planning. China has been successful economically for decades, choosing priorities and co-ordinating policies. This has not always worked, but picking winners in specific industries like solar panels and EVs has been successful. Manufacturing industry increased China’s carbon emissions, but by using low-emissions technology China is on track to reach net zero emissions by 2060.
Politically, China is a brutal communist dictatorship, but we have much to learn from it on Rudd’s priorities on industry policy and climate change.
John Hughes, Mentone

No longer a beacon
Isn’t paying people to vote for you weakening democracy (″⁣Trump pledges $US5000 to all US adults if his party wins midterms″⁣, 11/9)?
Many people who are struggling financially might take up this offer. If this happens what a tragic end to the US as a beacon of democracy. But let us hope that somehow Donald Trump will cease his presidency at the end of his two terms – unless he changes the rules to limit presidency to that period.
No. We must not give up hope. Anyway, he will be 82 years old then. Surely in need of slowing down. Then the US could again be a democratic beacon and Australia’s reliable and powerful friend.
Marguerite Marshall, Eltham

Respect teachers
The adage ″⁣It takes a village to raise a child″⁣ places teachers in a central and tough role. Parents can be reluctant or blundering in their responsibilities. Home environments can be chaotic for some children. Teachers are expected to cope with and ″⁣fix″⁣ behaviour that doesn’t fit with co-operative learning in large groups. Parents can be aggressive in their complaints. So teachers still need to influence the values and behaviours of their students but they need more respect and resources to do so. Countries such as Finland and Japan weave these life lessons into their classrooms from school entry. Their teachers are well-supported. We need to learn from them.
Glenda Johnston, Queenscliff

Tough challenges
Correspondents applauding the idea that the onus to raise children well should be on parents, would do well to consider the circumstances that many children face. A significant cohort of parents are not merely poor at parenting, they are entirely incapable of providing a functional family setting. At one time, I taught in a regional primary school and one in five children in the class were being managed by government agencies and homed by relatives. These children in some cases had been seized from a dangerous or drug-affected parent.
Simply calling on parents to do better misunderstands the challenges our society face.
Patrick Hockey, Clunes

Man in the mirror
The downfall of Alonso Quijano, the Man of La Mancha, came about when the Knight of the Mirrors causes Alonso to look at his aged true self through a polished shield acting as a mirror. For such a mirror to be trained on Donald Trump so that he sees the reality of his self-deluded identity. Sadly, I’m not sure that Trump would resile from this image as did Alonso.
Graeme Rose, Wangaratta

Parallel lines
Re your correspondent’s views (Letters, 11/9) on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in which they mentioned Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus. My father’s village of Morphou is there so I have a more than passing interest in the history of the Cyprus tragedy. Your correspondent claims it is a different circumstance than what is happening in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
But the situation is remarkably the same for both these oppressed peoples and others living under military occupation, that is displacement, ethnic cleansing, seizure of houses and land, destruction of villages and towns and being replaced by settlers and illegal settlements.
Steven Katsineris, Hurstbridge

Sizzling affair
The highly marketed NFL game provided more sizzle than sausage.
Mark Hulls, Sandringham

AND ANOTHER THING

AI
An Anthropic researcher believes AI will potentially kill us all. When the time comes can’t we just pull out the plug?
Layla Godfrey, Parkdale

What Anthropic is really saying about AI superintelligence is super stupidity, as we hurtle towards the end of humankind. Why do I keep having visions of The Terminator?
Pepe Salvatore, Fitzroy North

Human behaviour may be the cause of our extinction, but now we have a choice of climate change or AI.
Kevan Porter, Alphington

Trump
Donald Trump must really be worried about losing the midterms if he’s resorting to promising $5000 to each adult citizen (″⁣Trump pledges $US5000 to all US adults if his party wins midterms″⁣, 11/9). Voters should be very wary of this presidential con artist.
George Djoneff, Mitcham

I cannot believe Donald Trump is bribing people or in other words buying their vote. Do they really think if the Republicans win he will give them the money?
Jane Cheong, Aspendale Gardens

Donald Trump is using America’s poor to buy the upcoming midterm elections. Pauline Hanson’s superannuation “policy” could effectively work the same way and produce the same result.
Bernd Rieve, Brighton

It’s said that ″⁣everybody has their price″⁣. In the case of US voters, Trump puts it at $5000.
Malcolm Cameron, Camberwell

Donald Trump has taken the term ″⁣buying an election″⁣ to a new level.
Les Aisen, Elsternwick

US democracy for sale. Disgusting.
Michelle Leeder, Trentham

A man who is so vain, who believes he is so beloved, yet doesn’t seem to see the irony of having to bribe Americans to vote for him. It’s so odd.
Brendan O’Farrell, Brunswick

Finally
Whether an issue passes the pub test appears to depend in which electorate the pub resides.
Arthur Pritchard, Ascot Vale

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