Australia’s media regulator will be given the authority to crack down and fine tech companies for misinformation and disinformation on their platforms, it has been revealed. Digital platforms like Meta and X may be subject to civil penalties of up to five percent of global turnover for breaches.
The legislation would give the Australian Communications and Media Authority new powers, where it would be authorized to demand that social platforms keep their records and hand them over.
There will be significant penalties for breaking the law, with companies facing a fine of five percent of their global revenue for failing to prevent the spread of misinformation online, as well as two percent for breaching codes.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland stated around 75 percent of Australians are concerned about the harmful impacts of misinformation and disinformation. She said: “Digital platforms can also serve as a vehicle for the spread of misleading or false information that is seriously harmful to Australians.
“The rapid spread of seriously harmful mis and disinformation poses a significant challenge to the functioning of societies around the world.”
However, Independent Senator David Pocock expressed concerns that the government was “essentially putting the onus on social media companies to deal with this.”
He added: “I have real concerns about making social media companies the arbiters of truth. Of them deciding what is and what isn’t misinformation. Particularly when they have these algorithms that there’s no transparency. The are boosting things, putting things in front of people and we don’t know how that is actually working.”
X owner Elon Musk, was forthright in his views on Australia’s proposals, labeling the government “fascists” in a post.
Fascists https://t.co/NQcR9justJ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2024
Australian government’s crackdown on tech companies
After last year’s draft bill, the federal government is launching laws against doxing, where maliciously sharing someone’s personal details online could lead to a seven-year jail sentence. These legislations respond to increasing online privacy concerns.
This month, Meta executives also returned to the Australian Parliament to address concerns over the company’s news content policies. ReadWrite reported that one executive admitted public data of Australian citizens had been scraped to train AI models.
In July, big tech firms were set a six-month deadline to draft online safety rules to protect children from inappropriate content. Members of the online industry received the instruction from the eSafety Commissioner, giving the deadline of October 3.
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