AUGUST NEWSLETTER

Kia ora koutou,

Over the last month we've focused our public outreach around the online hate and dangerous speech aspects of our work. We classify films, DVDs and video games commercially but not so many people know we also classify material for law enforcement. Which can include text and image based posts from social media. It's an interesting, complex part of our work! And every decision we make to limit harm to the public good under the Films, Videos & Publications Classification Act is balanced with the application of the NZ Bill of Rights Act Section 3 - Freedom of Expression. We think it has never been more important than it is now to get the balance right between protecting our fundamental rights and freedoms, and providing the right level of protection for our most vulnerable. When we're making these calls we often need to think about the safety and well being of children, young people, and those with lived experience of trauma. We have a legislative framework and an international research and evidence base, to help us find the balance. It's part of our job to be extremely online! And it's not always enjoyable, especially when it comes to dealing with child exploitation, terrorism, and racially fueled extremism.         

But we do enjoy spending time with other experts in the field. This month we spent some time with researcher and PhD candidate Angus Lindsay who came to speak with our team about incel communities and the overlap with extremism. And Dr Kevin Veale also popped by for a chat on online harassment. Both fascinating humans with a wealth of knowledge to share - we think you'll find their work interesting and illuminating! Read more below.

All the best from all of us and remember to #WatchTogether