If you’re watching ABC’s Q&A on TV then you missed half the show. Last night’s debate on internet censorship was best viewed with a laptop as Twitter raged with comments about everything from the ineffectiveness of the proposed internet filter to Helen Razer’s choice of lipstick.
China-based technologist and Wheeler Centre guest, Kaiser Kuo thought Get Up founder Brett Solomon was talking “a bunch of techno-utopian fallacy”. He pointed to Iran’s internet revolution as “a double-edged sword” because Twitter and Facebook were used to find dissidents as well as expressing international outrage. Kuo characterised the China-US online relationship as overly influenced by “rednecks and red guards”.
Kuo found some new followers on Twitter. @fauxfiction changed his mind “I thought I would hate Kaiser Kuo earlier today but I find him to be a cool dude.” Clem Bastow found him “bristly” while heidiheartshugs thought he was “sexy”. Some Twits criticised his pragmatism but most admired his stance on not introducing an internet filter in Australia. Kristinmoore2 made a simple request of Tony Jones “Can we get Kaiser Kuo to move to Australia #qanda”.