Over the last few days, Facebook and Twitter have stopped me from promoting my new book “Australia’s Paedophile Protection Racket” and Google have removed my website from key search terms which means less traffic to my website Kangaroo Court of Australia.
All roads lead back to Scott Morrison and the federal government interfering at least to some degree. The reason I say that is because my book has Scott Morrison on the front cover which would be embarrassing for him, my website is very critical of the federal government and Scott Morrison and the government have well-documented form for trying to control and silence the media.
The censoring of my website and limiting the promotion of my book, both highly critical of Scott Morrison and the federal government, has happened at a time when the federal government are set to pass laws forcing Google and Facebook to pay Australia’s media for the alleged use of their content. I wrote in an article in September 2020 “Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and the Scott Morrison government are conspiring in an attempt to shakedown Google and Facebook for hundreds of millions of dollars.” (Click here to read more)
Scott Morrison silencing and controlling the media
Controlling and manipulating the media is something Scott Morrison spends a lot of time on and that is why he has the nickname “Scotty from Marketing” because he is all spin never missing a picture opportunity but almost always fails to deliver. Morrison has a large team who work behind the scenes trying to minimise bad publicity.
A prime example is in 2015 when Morrison was Minister for the Department of Social Services and the SMH reported:
Scott Morrison exercises tight media control in Department of Social Services
Liberal leadership contender Scott Morrison has almost completely stripped his departmental bureaucrats of the power to answer questions from journalists.
The same tightly controlled media management style he displayed while overseeing immigration issues during operation sovereign borders has been brought to the social services portfolio.
The Department of Social Services’ 50-person communications team, costing taxpayers several million dollars a year, responded directly to just two of the 390 requests it received from media in the first six months of the year.
The rest were flicked on to Mr Morrison’s office or to the staff of his parliamentary secretary, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
Opposition early childhood spokeswoman Kate Ellis said the fact Mr Morrison took 99 per cent of media enquiries out of the hands of his public servants showed he was “obsessed with control and secrecy – no matter the portfolio”. (Click here to read more)
But there is also a brutal side to Scott Morrison and the government trying to control information that the public receives with whistleblowers such as Witness K and Bernard Collaery, David McBride and Richard Boyle still facing jail.
The fact that Facebook and/or Google might have been politically motivated to have taken the action they have against my book and website cannot be ruled out and it is a real possibility.
Scott Morrison and the government have spent the last few weeks attacking Four Corners, both openly and behind the scenes, and have even enlisted the help of News Corp to attack them for broadcasting an embarrassing show about two federal MP’s. And make no mistake the attack on Four Corners is being driven directly by Scott Morrison and his office. Given that what would Scott Morrison and the government do about a small independent journalist they don’t like? Would they have one of their staff complain to Facebook and/or Google? Especially at a time when they have a lot of leverage over Facebook and Google? I think so.
The Twitter issue is the least of the issues as the Facebook and Google censorship are a lot more concerning and blatant. Twitter cancelling my ad might just be an overzealous staff member but it occurred first, so I have put it in the order they occurred below.
Last Sunday (29/11/20) I paid for Twitter to promote a Tweet promoting my book with a link to Amazon. The add is below:
The ad started running on Twitter on Sunday but then on Monday they stopped the ad and sent me an email and said it breached their ad policy with a link to where it says: “Twitter globally prohibits the promotion of political content.“
My ad was promoting my book which is not captured by their policy. It seems more likely there was a complaint and that’s why they stopped the ad.
I started promoting my book on Facebook about a month ago using what they call the “Boost” service which promotes posts that you select on your page. The bottom line is they are ads. The first one was rejected, and I appealed and it was then approved. Then I ran several ads over the last month promoting the book for either 5$ or $10 a day for a few days each. Then on Thursday (3/12/20) I tried to promote the post below and Facebook refused and closed my advertising account.
Facebook emailed me almost immediately I tried to promote the above post telling me they were closing my advertising account and said: “It appears your ad account was used to create one or more ads that don’t comply with our Advertising Policies or other standards”. I have appealed but that could take weeks to get a result.
Facebook had approved several other ads that all promoted my book. The only difference about the new ad is that I mentioned Scott Morrison and linked back to his Facebook page. The day after the Google problem arose.
On Friday (4/12/20) I noticed that Google was no longer showing my website when I searched keywords like my name Shane Dowling or Shane Dowling Kangaroo Court when previously my website would come up number one or two. But it still brings up my website when I search the full name Kangaroo Court of Australia.
Another giveaway that there is a problem is that my website’s traffic from Google is down about 75% for an average day over the last 2 days. A few years ago, that would have been very damaging but given my traffic from Google is now only about 10% of my overall traffic it’s not as bad. But it still adds up over the course of a year to a lot of missed traffic.
If you use other search engines like Bing or DuckDuckGo and search my name my website still comes up number one or two which is very telling.
It seems very odd as it was the day after Facebook had deleted my advertising account and blocked me from promoting my book. But it is the same time the federal government are in the process of passing legislation forcing Facebook and Google to pay Australian media businesses.
I Tweeted Google on Friday and then the CEO of Google today as per below:
Because I own the website Google gives me statistics on my websites top search terms as per below where I search my name:
The data above says the average position for my website is 8.1 but it previously showed up at one or two even though it said 8.1. But now my website has totally disappeared from the search results for my name.
If Google is manipulating other searches the same way they are for my website how bad are they overall. It pays to use more than one search engine.
Above should be an eye-opener for people who think we live in a country with a free media. Above are just some of the battles that I have had on a regular basis since I set up my website in 2011. Other battles have included Kerry Stokes running off to court many times to get suppression orders against my articles and articles that are still blocked today about Capilano Honey even though there is no legal basis for it because I had the suppression orders lifted. I have written to Google numerous times to let them know the suppression orders have been lifted but they ignore me.
You don’t have to live in China or Russia to be on the end of government censorship as the likes of Google, Facebook and Twitter will censor for government around the world including Australia’s federal government led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
This article and a number of other articles will be submitted to the current Senate Inquiry “Media diversity in Australia” which is taking written submissions until the 11th of December 2020.
Twitter and Facebook have not stopped me from posting about my book or website. I just can’t advertise with them about the book. So, one of the solutions is to ask you, the readers, to share as much as possible on social media which always works better anyhow.
Please use Twitter, Facebook, email and the other buttons below and help promote this article.
Kangaroo Court of Australia is an independent website and is reliant on donations to keep publishing so please click on the Patreon button below and support independent journalism.
If you would like to support via PayPal use the button below or for other donation options click here to go to the Donations page.
Thank you for your support.
For the KCA t-shirt shop click here.
Censorship is rife at the moment all around the world. Any individual, organisation, group that publicly goes against their narrative is silenced. When it comes to paedophilia well we all know the world is run by pedophiles so no surprises there. I will share your article about the book as far and wide as I can. Thank you for all you do to try and uncover the truth and keep the bastards accountable!
This is very much like the frog in the slowly coming to boil water; I can understand why FB, Twtr, Google, need from time to time take action to block or interfere with accounts, after all they are private enterprises. On the other hand, I can now understand why the USA & Europe are trying to break them up a bit. Clearly, here in Australia, those companies are trying to buy time by appeasing Morrison and other political heavy hitters. Just like Pres’ Xi banned Whinny The Poo on a nonsensical grounds, so to is your book stymied by tyrannical behaviour. Keep fighting on. Charles Pratten
This book is excellent reading, these attempts to silence dissent work in part, the more learned read other news from other outlets who publish the truths of these criminal elements who are commonly known as LNP…would assume Morrison and Porter engage the services of the politised AFP/ASIS/ASIO/DSD directed by Herr Dutton to track down the dissenters…the same LNP who are too busy to introduce legislation for a federal ICAC, but can find time to attack workers rights and the ABC.
Australian public: …………”Keep The Bastards Honest”.
Australian “government”, “Keep The Bastards Quiet”.
Would now be a good time to start talking about your failures morrison?
“Oops, Sorry, Smirk, Photo back to “Business As Usual” lnp style doesn’t work anymore, just GO.
I am curious to know why your book has been apparently “silenced” Shane, when other books eg Milligan’s “The Witness” that dealt with pedophilia have had broad public promotion? I have got your book and it looks interesting, but I have not read it yet sorry. I have a friend, a lawyer, whose books about pedophilia and our laws, have been equally kept low key. It is most disappointing to see some people like Bree Lee and Louise Milligan being “feted for speaking out” yet other hard-working advocates are kept hidden under a bushel as much as possible.
I can only hope that the support of the public will carry your voice forward now… as you deserve to be heard! Keep going…Never get in to that bastardry! I have never loathed a government so much as this one and I am sure that a lot of others would agree. I have never seen such a bunch of innate losers singly, all holding each other up collectively, in my born days! Pity is they are also dangerous…as the wider public is simply not taking this silencing seriously enough….yet! Rudd’s petition may help. It is time for a Royal Commission, reading your story.
Agree with everything you said in the last paragraph Libby. I have never been more disgusted with a Government such as this one. They are all CROOKS and look after their mates so blatently. What a shambles, and Scomo loves mouthing off before he thinks – it is no wonder we are in big doodoo with China. Diplomacy ain’t his forte.
When you expose the chosen elite,they will go out of their way to toss hurdles in front of you,exactly what Stokes has done to you as you well know,keep smiling Shane and keep exposing the owner operators in power
This censorship is outrageous but also potential dynamite. It’s almost impossible that this just happened as a byproduct of some policy change so there must be a paper trail on two stunning developments: 1) These major platforms are colluding in their censorship and/or 2) These major platforms have caved in to direct approaches from the federal government.
Here’s what I would suggest now. In all your future communications with both these major platforms and the federal government (including FOI requests), expressly ask if there has been *any* communication between the government and/or other platforms about this change targeting Kangaroo Court of Australia. Collate and record *any* published changes to Google/Facebook/Twitter policies in the last week that might be used as a fig-leaf for this censorship.
Actively request for whistle-blowing drops from both the government and the major platforms (either to Wikileaks or provide a secure email drop [not gmail naturally]). One way of having this reversed is under the thread of this communication getting out as it demonstrates Google/Facebook/Twitter support for authoritarianism.
(Also, you might want to monitor google results from using the Tools/Any time filter and suggest users use this to find old articles/new posts etc. Currently, if you specify *any* time, all the old google results seem to appear – I would also be keeping screenshots of all the search listing to document the censorship’s trajectory).
Best of luck.
Jim.
I should also add, I wouldn’t assume that the promotion of the book “Australia’s Paedophile Protection Racket” is the sole catalyst here. I strongly suspect that the timing of two recent posts on Dave Sharma and David Hurley are also relevant. Hence, I would also get on the record, requests directly from their offices, about any communications with other members of the government or Google/Facebook/Twitter about these articles.
To test this, where you can still promote content, I would also attempt to pay for adds promoting links to those two recent articles on Sharma and Hurley and this article.
I just put Kangaroo Court of Australia into Google and it came up at the very top. So it seems it is still there……. perhaps you have been blocked from seeing it. Good luck with what you are doing!
Hi Sharon,
Read the article again where I say:
On Friday (4/12/20) I noticed that Google was no longer showing my website when I searched keywords like my name Shane Dowling or Shane Dowling Kangaroo Court when previously my website would come up number one or two. But it still brings up my website when I search the full name Kangaroo Court of Australia.
Yes, my mistake. Sorry!
Reminiscence of a dictator who ordered all of a country’s books to be burned.
Just know that the truth is also ‘spread on the wind’ by its existence and by those who read it, and that can never be erased, no which small-minded dictators try to erase it.
Keep on with the great work which you do KCoA.
The quicker this very powerful censorship will be mostly a thing of the past internet companies, Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc., are broken up by law, the better for the world; censorship will be mostly a thing of the past. These internet companies have too much power in their present form. Will be interesting to see the results of the Senate enquiry into “Media Diversity in Australia”
I hear you.
Your followers can support you by posting & re posting a link to your book on their social media platform or share this email with their contacts list.
Your work needs more recognition.
Exposing this book is only a weapon of knowledge to help
guard there loved ones from harm.
Could restricting web site traffic be cnsidered an act of restrictive trading practices under ACCC Laws？
Recognise that if you are attracting the attention of ‘The Establishment’, you must be regarded as a serious threat, hence their reaction. That`s the good news. However, with all the major parties toeing the line, only a long-term assault might prevail. Decades ago, my group exposed the corruption in the Supreme Courts across Australia, but no one was ever charged and we ran out of steam. In today`s political climate, who knows what might happen?
It seems, reading all comments, that there is enough steam around to do something!
I have said it a couple of times before, with other articles written by Shane: we can complain and complain, but Australian citizens have allowed this to happen.
So, when are we really going to do something about all of this corruption and attacks on freedom of speech and press? We the people, have the power, to take to the streets!! Even with social distancing and mask wearing…
Suzanne D, I have provided for you the below link that will provide you with an insight into the evils of today’s L/NP government.
https://www.asia-pacificresearch.com/australian-court-upholds-sacking-academic-criticising-us-israeli-militarism/5629517
The SMH today (7/12/20):
ABC, SBS included in news media code as tech giants win some concessions
The ABC and SBS will be included in proposed laws to force Google and Facebook to pay media companies for news content but the tech giants have won some concessions, as a Coalition backbench committee signed off on the legislation on Monday.
The decision by the committee to approve the proposed laws, known as the news media bargaining code, paves the way for Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to table the legislation in Parliament as soon as Wednesday after it is presented to the Coalition partyroom tomorrow.
One backbencher said the government had moved “some way” to accommodate the concerns of Google and Facebook.
“The outcome will be that Google and Facebook won’t be completely happy with it and the media companies won’t be completely happy, but it’s something they can all live with,” the backbencher said.
Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/abc-sbs-included-in-news-media-code-as-tech-giants-win-some-concessions-20201207-p56l7h.html
Incredible readings here, certainly a reminder of years back in a country called Germany and a leader who convinced his population that his thoughts were correct and best for the population..the writings of Kangaroo Court seem to show certain aspects of the Australian Judiciary of all jurisdictions to be somewhat lacking in many ways….