POSTMODERN PROBLEMS: Australian public servant condemns censorship after blogpost cost him his job.
In April, Krook published a post on a fledgling blog called the Oxford Political Review, arguing social isolation was good for big tech companies, because it made people increasingly dependent on online platforms for interaction.
Krook also worked as a policy officer with the industry department, working on tech policy.
His post talked only in generalities. It made no reference to any individual company and did not mention, let alone criticise, the Australian government or government policy.
In no way did Krook identify himself as a government employee or policy officer or seek to conflate his writing with his views as a public servant.
Three months after the post, Krook was invited to a meeting with his superior.
In the meeting, Krook says he was given a choice: remove the blog post or face termination.
SG