Sydney man charged over election spam

The Australian Federal Police has charged a 32-year-old Blacktown man over a spam email campaign related to the weekend’s Eden-Monaro by-election.

The man was arrested and charged with one count of using a telecommunications service to menace, harass or cause offence.

The man was released on bail and is due to appear before the Blacktown Local Court on 2 September 2020.

The AFP commenced the investigation following a report from the Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce and the Australian Electoral Commission on 10 June 2020.

The report related to spam emails, which appeared to be from legitimate sources, being sent from an unidentified user to the Australian community and various organisations. The emails were assessed as offensive and harassing in nature.

The AFP investigation identified the use of a number of telecommunications services subscribed using suspected fraudulent identification documents. Investigators will allege in court that these activities were linked to the 32-year-old man.

The AFP investigation into this matter remains ongoing.

Did you receive spam emails related to the weekend’s by-election? What did you do with them?

4 comments

I didn't receive an email but if I had, it would have been put in the junk mail.   I make my own decisions when it comes to politics. I don't allow right-wing media propaganda to persuade me too. Lock the bastard up.

I thought it was left-wing media propaganda ?

But agree "Lock them up"

I believe these might be the emails sent around stating ALP canditate for recent by-eplection had Covid 19 and had pulled out of the election. This definitely falls into the "dirty tricks' category which is too common in this country now and shoulkd be dealt with without mercy. 

Our political system leaves a lot to be desired these days and this sort of thing mkaes matters worse.

the gov is getting all hot and bothered over foreign interference with our electroral systems, so a domestic malcontent is little different ... make an example of him to put one across the bows of those clowns in party dirty tricks department e.g. misleading electoral commission signs instructions, Gordon Gretch, Angus Taylor email fraud etc. By all means protest with facts, but enough with the imagined BS

How hypocritical can this be? A citizen is facing sanctions because of lies sent out to people yet when political parties and lobby groups tell lies leading up to an election nothing is done. Over the years we have been told lies about policies and health of candidates and although these are investigated after an election, nothing is done. If authorities are going to punish a private citizen then surely those political parties and lobby groups should also be punished. It can't be a law for the little person and another for the big organisations

 

I agree, Horace Cope. Lock up all the lying, unashamed  bastard politicians !

 

the party authorising the ads should be treated just as harshly - they get some consideration for taking responsibility but then deserve a kicking for knowing better and still deciding to do it.

I would also like to see candidates misleading the public by knowingly making false statements should be disqualified from standing.

HaHaah!!!

Horace

That could actually save some money for the Taxpayer

 

The outrageous thing is that political parties are exempt from the requirement that all advertising must be honest and factual. The pollies deliberately exempted themsleves from that requirement. Is it any wonder our political system is broken when the people we vote for have given themselves permission to lie.

There is also the matter of an independent Federal ICAC which the government keeps pushing on to the backburner. Just what are they afraid of? It certainly makes one think they are hiding something. 

Couldn't agree more, Horace Cope> The old saw - "When is apolitician lying? Answer - when his or her lips are moving" - applies more than ever to today's rather mediocre Canberra crop.

I didnt receive such an email and would like to see one before calling for a lock-up. Was the 'line' actually crossed? Would an average person be mislead or confused by it? It is hoped the courts with review in an unbiassed manner.

4 comments



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