Australia plans minimum age for social media use, angering digital rights advocates
NBCSEP 13 2024
Australia is expected to pass a law that would fine tech companies up to 5% of their global revenue if they don't block misinformation and disinformation from spreading on their social media platforms.
According to the head of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), Michell Rowland, speech will be labled mis- or disinformation only if it's "seriously harmful and verifiably false."
According to the agency's website, the law won't give the ACMA powers to delete social media posts directly, but rather force tech platforms to "increase their transparency with Australian users about how they handle misinformation and disinformation."
The ACMA understands the delicate relationshionship between upholding free speech and tackling dangerous content. This why the tech companies, not the government, will be tasked with building their own content moderation systems, and why only blatantly false information about topics such as public health will be under its scope. Unlike authoritarian countries like Russia, the ACMA will only focus on verifiably false and harmful content.
Australia has become so authoritarian that even establishment-friendly newspapers and political groups have come out against this bill. Everyone knows they can't trust the government or tech companies to define the truth, but the ACMA appears uninterested in the public's concerns. Mis- and disinformation are just buzzwords for wannabe tyrants to use against political speech they don't like, but, thankfully, the majority of Australians are becoming aware of this.