SYDNEY: Australia ordered Internet providers on Monday to block eight websites that published content linked to the Christchurch mosque massacre — a first under new censorship rules.
After the alleged gunman, an Australian national, live-streamed the killing of 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques in March, Canberra has looked to expand its censorship powers.
The overseas websites were blacklisted because they “continue to provide access to the video of the Christchurch terrorist attacks or the manifesto of the alleged perpetrator,” said Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety commissioner.
Authorities refused to name the websites — which will be blocked for at least six months — saying it could bring them more traffic.
Several other websites were asked to take down content and had complied, Inman Grant added.
“The remaining rogue websites need only to remove the illegal content to have the block against them lifted,” she said.
One of the eight websites was a blog focusing on the so-called “Threat of Islam,” according to an explanatory statement lodged with the Federal Register of Legislation.
The Communication Alliance — a telecommunications lobby group — said Internet providers had already blocked all eight websites voluntarily before the order, but welcomed the legal clarity provided by the government decision.
In defense of the new censorship powers put into action by Australia’s conservative government, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said last month: “That type of abhorrent material has no place in Australia.”
“We are doing everything we can to deny terrorists the opportunity to glorify their crimes, including taking action locally and globally.”
A new 24/7 Crisis Coordination Center is also being set up, tasked with monitoring terror-related incidents and extremely violent events for censorship.
Australia blocks websites hosting Christchurch attack videos
Australia blocks websites hosting Christchurch attack videos
- Internet providers had already blocked all eight websites voluntarily before the order, but welcomed the legal clarity provided by the government
- A new 24/7 Crisis Coordination Center is also being set up, tasked with monitoring terror-related incidents and extremely violent events for censorship
Tunisian filmmaker wins $1 million global AI film contest in Dubai
- The French-language short film, “Lily,” was created entirely using Google’s generative AI tools
- The winning film was selected from 3,500 film submissions
DUBAI: Tunisian filmmaker Zoubeir Jlassi on Saturday won the inaugural $1 million AI film award, launched in collaboration with Google’s Gemini, for his short movie, “Lily.”
He was declared the winner in a ceremony held during the second day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai where Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, presented the award.
The French-language short film, “Lily,” created entirely using Google’s generative AI tools — including Gemini, Veo 3, Imagen and Flow — was named after the filmmaker’s daughter, who inspired the story.
The nine-minute film follows a lonely archivist haunted by a doll caught on his car bumper during a hit-and-run accident, forcing him to confront his guilt, confess to the police, and reunite the doll with the injured child in the hospital.
“My daughter has a doll, which is also called Lily. This doll lived with us through our moments of grievances, joy, and victories,” Jlassi told Arab News.
He said the film, which took a month to complete, portrays the doll as the protagonist’s silent witness and secretkeeper, ultimately prompting his moral awakening and bringing him back to life. The film’s message, he added, is that routine can dull self-awareness, preventing people from confronting their own truths and taking responsibility for their mistakes.
“With this film, I hope to inspire aspiring filmmakers to dream, take ideas from their archives, execute them and share them on their own platforms without relying on large production budgets or expensive equipment,” he told Arab News.
“This is the beauty of technology; it unleashes creativity without limits.”
The winning film was selected from 3,500 film submissions from 16 countries, with organizers saying the award aimed to encourage the use of AI in producing meaningful films and enhance the creators’ ability to deliver humanitarian stories.
It also looked to empower young people to leverage technology in boosting their creativity and creating artworks that bridge cultures.
The shortlisting process took place over multiple stages. A jury of international technology experts and filmmakers selected 12 films based on the storytelling originality, narrative structure, visual aesthetics, creative use of AI technologies, overall creativity, emotional impact, and adherence to transparency and ethical principles.
The five finalists were selected after public voting of the works selected by the jury, organizers said.
Each film had to be powered by at least 70 percent generative AI tools from Google — including Veo, Imagen and Flow — or third-party platforms that run on Gemini’s technology. The tech company said that the entries underwent advanced technical assessment and AI verification to ensure submissions met the criteria.
The remaining finalists were “Portrait No. 72” by Rodson Verr Suarez of the Philippines; “Cats Like Warmth” by South Korean director Lee Su Yeol; “Heal” by Egyptian director Mohamed Gomaa; and “The Translator” by US-based Pylyp Li.
The top five AI-generated short films were screened on the first day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, a gathering of content creators aiming to explore how new media can drive positive change and fuel sustainable economic growth.
