Elites are in uproar over revelations Cambridge Analytica provided the Trump campaign with the Facebook data of 270,000 people. Lost in this uproar is that all parties acted completely legally. I may be 24, but I’m old enough to remember when  Obama did the exact same thing and was called innovative.

Liberty Victoria gave this year’s Young Voltaire Award for work on freedom of speech to…Yassmin Abdel-Magied. As Simon Breheny told The Australian on Tuesday, “I’m struggling to recall anything Ms Abdel-Magied has done to defend freedom of speech.” Still, it’s better than last year when they gave the Voltaire Award to Gillian Triggs.

If only that were the worst story about freedom of speech in the West this week. Scottish YouTube user Count Dankula was convicted on Tuesday of a hate crime for posting a distasteful YouTube video of his dog giving Nazi salutes two years ago. Ricky Gervais rushed to the defence of free speech, and it’s good to see a comedian do so because John Cleese would be in hot water in 2018.

And look at this chilling thread from the Scottish Police Department’s Twitter account last week where they blatantly threaten to use people’s tweets against them in the future.

Many of the episodes in the Netflix series Black Mirror have provided a terrifying look into suffocating technological dystopia – so it’s no surprise that the Chinese government is the first to use a plotline for its policies. They have announced a mandatory “social credit score” based on behaviour and social interactions – didn’t they see the second half of the episode?

If you couldn’t get a ticket to see Professor Robert Tombs’ during his tour with the IPA, you’re in luck! We’re about to release an hour long interview he gave to Dr Bella d’Abrera. Watch a teaser here.

Australia may have a terrible red tape problem, but spare a thought for Constantin Reliu in Romania. After being declared dead by the government, Reliu failed to overturn the decision despite appearing in court to confirm he was alive.

Featuring Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, and Daniel Wild, Institute of Public Affairs

Article of the week:

IPA Staff Pick:

Here’s what else the IPA said this week:

• Sinclair Davidson, Labor’s tax plan is a raid on every Australian’s super fund – The Age
• Simon Breheny, Judges who want to politicise the bench should run for office – The Australian
• Daniel Wild, SA Labor’s passion for renewable energy is madness – The Australian
• Georgina Downer, UK is right to take a stand against Putin’s aggression – Herald Sun
• Matthew Lesh, Council cops rubbishing for going through the bins – IPA Media Coverage
• Gideon Rozner, Why the ACTU hates the sharing economy – IPA TV