The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has warned that online hate is increasingly spilling into real‑world violence, a concern that has prompted the agency to rethink how it protects parliamentarians and other public figures.
Speaking to the press, the AFP’s head said, “No single measure can undo the change in social attitudes driving political threats.” He added that the police are grappling with how best to keep parliamentarians safe in a climate where digital hostility can quickly translate into physical danger.
“We hear about the devastating impacts of racism from communities every day,” the AFP chief noted. “But many experiences go unreported or uncounted, and our systems often do not capture the full picture.” He stressed that the focus is not on collecting more data to prove racism exists – it already does – but on making inequality visible and holding institutions to account.
The AFP’s comments come amid growing calls for greater agency over data for affected communities. By giving groups more control over how their experiences are recorded and used, the agency believes it can drive real change and reduce the gap between online rhetoric and offline harm.
<small>Source: The Guardian — read the original story there.</small>
