Stop Tony Meow is a

browser extension A browser extension is a small software module for customizing a web browser. Browsers typically allow a variety of extensions, including user interface modifications, cookie management, ad blocking, and the custom scripting and styling of web p ...

which replaces photos of former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott with images of cats and kittens on websites. Initially created for

Google Chrome Google Chrome is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS ...

, the extension was expanded to

Safari A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an importa ...

and Firefox later in 2014. The extension was created by developers and designers Dan Nolan, Ben Taylor and Matt Kelsh. The extension became very popular with over 100,000 users by September 2014, and in the same year it was selected by the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

to be included in its Pandora Archive. The script searches for "abbott" in a page's source code and replaces the image with a photo from Placekitten, a service which displays placeholder cat images on websites. In response to the popularity of Stop Tony Meow, the Liberal Party changed their website to prevent images of their then-leader being replaced. Stop Tony Meow also gained limited notoriety in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, where it was discovered that the extension also replaced images of then- Republican gubernatorial candidate, now-governor Greg Abbott.

Freedom of information request

Curious to read what the prime minister and government thought of the software, Nolan lodged a

freedom of information Freedom of information is freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information. Access to information is the ability for an individual to seek, receive and impart information effectively. This sometimes includes "scientific, indigeno ...

request for any documents containing the words "Stop Tony Meow" with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Speaking to ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', Nolan stated, "it would be fascinating to see how a government department reacts to these weird new kinds of technology and culture jamming stuff, which previously they wouldn't have had to deal with." A search produced over 137 pages of correspondence, for which Nolan was charged $720.30. The fee was not paid and so the documents were not released. Nolan challenged the cost with the department, arguing that the documents were in the public interest, but the request was denied. Nolan later considered fundraising among friends to access the documents.

References

External links

* {{cite web , title=Stop Tony Meow :: Add-ons for Firefox , url=https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/stop-tony-meow/ , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102051646/https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/stop-tony-meow/ , archive-date=2018-11-02 , date=2 November 2018 Politics of Australia Culture jamming Internet-based activism Google Chrome extensions Free Firefox legacy extensions Politics and technology Internet activism