Promoting and protecting digital rights since 1994

Written by John Pane, EFA Chair. For years, concerns about children, smartphones, and social media have occupied a grey zone — intuitively alarming, politically contentious, and legally elusive. Fast forward to 2025 and Australia passes the social media ban that we had to have. Problem solved, right? Well, the government seems to think so. But I don’t. Meanwhile in the US, a Los Angeles courtroom became the site of what could be the first jury

This post was written by EFA Vice Chair Julian Watchorn. The lessons emerging from AI governance debates are directly relevant to online safety, where reliance on voluntary compliance and identity-based controls threatens privacy and rights while leaving harmful platform design largely unregulated.  Much of the current debate about children’s online safety has narrowed to age verification and age-based bans. While age limits have a place, they risk diverting attention from the underlying problem. The central

Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) held its Annual General Meeting on 29 November 2025, with 16 candidates vying for 7 board positions.  We used Opavote to manage the election process and, after the processing of preferences, we welcome the re-appointment of our existing board members and the appointment of 5 new board members for 2025/2026. Thank you to those who participated in the nomination process but missed out on being selected. We appreciate your passion for