Unpacking Fiji internet law narratives: Online safety or online regulation?

  • Jope Tarai USP
Keywords: Fiji, free speech, freedom of expression, media regulation, political economy, social media

Abstract

Commentary: It took approximately 6 seconds, with 27 votes against 14 on the 16 May 2018 at 5:03pm for the Fiji Parliament to pass the Online Safety Bill (Fijian Parliament, 2018b). Thereafter, the Bill came into force as the Online Safety Act, 2018 (Fijian Government, 2018), despite concerns about its impact on free speech. This commentary examines how the public was conditioned by certain prominent actors, such as the Attorney-General and Media Industry Development Authority (MIDA) chair, with support from government-aligned media. The Online Safety Bill had been touted as legislation designed to protect Fijians from harmful online activities (Doviverata, 2018; Nacei, 2018). However, the Bill’s implementation was preceded by a set of supportive media-facilitated narratives that seems almost too convenient. This commentary scrutinises the series of media facilitated narratives that justified the Online Safety Act. The discussion briefly examines the connection between the media, blogs and social media in Fiji. It then explores the media facilitated narratives to provide a brief critique of the Act as a so-called ‘Trojan Horse’ for safety while risking responsible political free speech. Finally, it seeks to answer whether it is about online ‘Safety’ alone, or ‘Regulation’ of online media.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Administrator. (2013). Letters to the editor uncensored - How it began - Administrators Insights in. J. Tarai (Ed.).

Audience Insights. (2018). Estimated account users from Facebook audience insights. Retrieed from https://www.facebook.com/business/news/audience-insights

Bainimarama, V. (2016). PM warns young people of social media danger. Fiji Sun. Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2016/07/30/pm-warns-young-people-of-social-media-danger/

Chanel, K. F. S. (2017). Uproar over nude images. Fiji Sun. Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2017/09/21/uproar-over-nude-images/

Chanel, S. (2017). Victim tells all in nude images Saga. Fiji Sun. Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2017/09/23/victim-tells-all-in-nude-images-saga/

Chanel, S. (2018). Police condemn new nude video posted online. Fiji Sun. Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2018/02/08/police-condemn-new-nude-video-posted-online/

Chaudhary, F. (2017, December 10). Qiliho calls to regulate cyber space. Fiji Times Retrieved from http://newcloudfto.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=426947

Delaibatiki, N. (2016, December 31). 2016: Year of fake news here. Fiji Sun. Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2016/12/31/2016-year-of-fake-news-here/

Delaibatiki, N. (2017). Raj, Prasad clash over hate speech on social media. Fiji Sun. Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2017/04/04/raj-prasad-clash-over-hate-speech-on-social-media/

Doviverata, R. (2018). Online safety bill will protect Fijians being victimised on social media. Fiji Sun. Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2018/03/16/editorial-online-safety-bill-will-protect-fijians-being-victimised-on-social-media/

FBC (Fiji Broadcasting Corporation). (2017, April 3). Regulate social media comments. Retrieved from http://www.fbc.com.fj/fiji/49572/regulate-social-media-comments

Fijian Government. (2018). Online Safety Bill, 2018 - Bill No. 7. Retrieved from http://www.parliament.gov.fj/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Bill-7-Online-Safety-.pdf.

Fijian Parliament. (2018a). Online Safety Bill 2018 - Introduced. Suva, Fiji Retrieved from http://www.parliament.gov.fj/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/THURSDAY-15TH-MARCH-2018.pdf.

Fijian Parliament. (2018b). Parliamentary Sitting - Voting Results on the Online Safety Bill. Retrieved from http://www.parliament.gov.fj/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/motion-1.pdf.

Fijian Parliament. (2018c). Report on the Online Safety Bill,2018. Retrieved from http://www.parliament.gov.fj/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Standing-Committee-on-JLHR-Report-on-the-Online-Safety-Bill-No-7-of-2018-part-1.pdf

Finau, G., Cox, J., Tarai, J., Kant, R., Varea, R., & Titifanue, J. (2018). Social media and disaster communication: A case study of Cyclone Winston. Pacific Journalism Review: Te Koakoa, 24(1), 123-137. https://doi.org/10.24135/pjr.v24i1.400

Finau, G., Kant, R., Logan, S., Prasad, A., Tarai. J, & Cox, J. (2014). Social media and e-democracy in Fiji, Solomons and Vanuatu. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net

Finau, G., Prasad, A., Kant, R., Tarai, J., Logan, S., & Cox, J. (2014). Social media and e-democracy in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Paper presented at the 20th Americas Conference on Information Systems.

Foster, Sophie. Who Let the Blogs Out?: Media and Free Speech in Post-coup. Pacific Journalism Review, 13(2), 47-60. Retrieved from https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=839172533303057;res=IELNZC

FWCC (Fiji Women’s Crisis Center). (2018). Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre submission: Online Safety Bill No.7 of 2018. Suva, Fiji: Parliamentary Secretariat.

Gounder, J. (2016, August 17). Facebook defamation case: Whippy-Knight vs Radrodro. Fiji Sun. Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2016/08/17/facebook-defamation-case-whippy-knight-vs-radrodro/

Morris, R. (2016). ‘Journalism of hope’ realities in post-election Fiji. Pacific Journalism Review, 22(1), 25. doi: 10.24135/pjr.v22i1.11

Morris, R. (2017). Watching our words: Perceptions of self-censorship and media freedom in Fiji. Pacific Journalism Monographs No 6. doi: 10.24135/pjm.v0i6.7

Nacei, L. (2018). Online safety bill passed. Fiji Times. Retrieved from http://www.fijitimes.com/online-safety-bill-passed/

Pacific Media Centre. (2014). Fiji: Campaign grows for reinstatement of ‘politically persecuted’ USP student. Retrieved from http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/fiji-campaign-grows-reinstatement-politically-persecuted-usp-student-8641

Pareti, S. (2009). The Fiji coup six months on: The role of the media. In J. Fraenkel, Firth, S., & Lal, B., The 2006 military takeover in Fiji: a coup to end all coups? (p. 267).

Personal Communication. (2018, March, 2018 ) Online Safety Bill /Interviewer: J. Tarai.

Canberra, ACT: ANU E-Press

Prasad, B. (2018). Response to the introduction of the Online Safety Bill by the Deputy Prime Minister/ Attorney General-Hon. Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum. Suva, Fiji Parliament of the Republic Of Fiji Retrieved from http://www.parliament.gov.fj/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/THURSDAY-15TH-MARCH-2018.pdf

Pratibha, J. (2017a, January 19). $10K damages for Facebook comments. Fiji Sun. Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2017/01/19/10k-damages-for-facebook-comments/

Pratibha, J. (2017b). A-G: Social media abuse questioned. Fiji Sun. Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2017/12/11/a-g-social-media-abuse-questioned/

Raj, A. (2014). Radio Aaina Episode 144. Interview. In S. Lochan (Ed.), Radio Aaina. Fiji Broadcasting Corporation.

RNZ (Radio New Zealand). (2017, April 4). Regulations to control social media mooted in Fiji. Retrieved from https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/328099/regulations-to-control-social-media-mooted-in-fiji

Robie, D. (2009a). Free speech in Fiji [Editorial]. Pacific Journalism Review, 15(1), 5-8. Retrieved from https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;res=IELHSS;dn=796068784592706

Robie, D. (2009b). Behind the Fiji censorship: A comparative media regulatory case study as a prelude to the Easter putsch. Pacific Journalism Review, 15(2), 85-116. Retrieved from https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=300966419566601;res=E-LIBRARY

Robie, D. (2016). ‘Unfree and unfair’?: Media intimidation in Fiji’s 2014 elections. In Ratuva, S., and Lawson, S. (Eds), The people have spoken: The 2014 elections in Fiji (pp. 83-104). Canberra, ACT: Australian National University.

Ross, J. (2016, 27/02/2016). Social media–the dark side. Fiji Sun Retrieved from http://fijisun.com.fj/2016/02/27/social-media-the-dark-side/

Singh, S. (2010a). Life under decree no. 29 of 2010: The Fiji media development decree. Pacific Journalism Review, 16(2), 147-162. Retrieved from https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;res=IELHSS;dn=478532949467113

Singh, S. (2010b). We are global: From Fiji, a journalist’s stand on censors, bloggers and the future of free expression. In L. Turner (Ed.).

Singh, S. (2017). State of the media review in four Melanesian countries - Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu in 2015.

Tarai, J.. (2015). To regulate or not: Fiji’s social media.

Tarai, J. (2018a). Is Regulation the Answer? Islands Business, 03, 31.

Tarai, J. (2018b). Online Safety Bill-submission.

Tarai, J., Kant, R., Finau, G., & Titifanue, J. (2015a). Fiji flag change: Social media responds.

Tarai, J., Kant, R., Finau, G., & Titifanue, J. (2015b). Political Social Media Campaigning in Fiji’s 2014 Elections.

Tarai. J., Kant, R., Finau, G., & Titifanue, J. (2015c). Political Social Media Campaigning in Fiji’s 2014 Elections. Journal of Pacific Studies, 35(2), 89 - 114.

Titifanue, J., Tarai, J., Kant, R., & Finau, G. (2016). From social networking to activism: The role of social media in the free West Papua campaign.

Titifanue, J., Kant, R., Finau, G., & Tarai, J. (2017). Climate change advocacy in the Pacific: The role of information and communication technologies. Pacific Journalism Review, 23(1), 133-149. doi:10.24135/pjr.v23i1.105

Tokalau, T. (2014). Politically active Fiji student has USP scholarship reinstated. . Retrieved from http://www.pireport.org/articles/2014/06/09/politically-active-fiji-student-has-usp-scholarship-reinstated

Valentine, W. (2013). My story-Mereia Tuiloma Mai Life Magazine, 12-14.

Vuibau, T. (2015, July 21). Education on freedom of speech vital. Fiji Times.

Walsh, C. (2010). Political blogs on Fiji: A ‘cybernet democracy’ case study. Pacific Journalism Review, 16(1), 154-177. Retrieved from https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;res=IELHSS;dn=408677940220121

PJR 2(1) cover icon
Published
02-11-2018
How to Cite
Tarai, J. (2018). Unpacking Fiji internet law narratives: Online safety or online regulation?. Pacific Journalism Review : Te Koakoa, 24(2), 84-94. https://doi.org/10.24135/pjr.v24i2.443