Australia introduces online platform safety bill, Wells denies censorship — The Guardian
In Australia, the government has introduced to parliament a bill on a digital duty of care for technology platforms. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the new rules would not restrict people’s right to speak online, listen to manosphere podcasts or share conspiracy theories about the human landing on the Moon, The Guardian reports.
According to Wells, the initiative concerns not what exactly people say online, but platforms’ obligations regarding user safety. She stressed that the law should shift responsibility for risks from those affected to the companies that create digital environments.
Obligations for platforms
The proposed rules are intended to establish a general duty for technology platforms to ensure a safe online environment for all Australians. They will apply to social media, online games, apps and chatbots.
Wells said the provisions could cover misogynistic content, materials supporting terrorism, as well as content about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. The bill also provides users with the option to opt out of algorithmic feeds and see only posts from pages they themselves follow. Platforms could face fines of more than $100 million for non-compliance.
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Criticism and anonymous accounts
Conservative politicians and civic groups criticized the initiative, saying that the definition of harmful content could create a mechanism for state censorship. Liberal Party representative James Paterson called the bill an attempt to secretly control and censor Australians’ speech.
Separate objections were raised over the possibility for regulators and researchers to create pseudonymous accounts, or so-called sockpuppets, to check whether platforms comply with the requirements. Wells denied that such accounts could be used for surveillance or spreading propaganda. According to her, they will be needed only for research and law enforcement, while the eSafety Commissioner will report annually on their use.
The Greens broadly support the bill but are seeking the right for citizens to directly sue technology companies for violations of the rules and to increase fines. Wells said the government is considering this possibility. The bill will be referred to the Senate for consideration, which is to submit a report at the end of November; the government hopes to pass the document this year.
