According to new internet security regulations in Australia, social media platforms may be forced to remove offensive information. Adults in Australia can now go to the federal government if they’re being bullied on social media and want to tell someone about it.
People in Australia who use social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can now be told by the country’s eSafety Commissioner to remove “cyber-abuse materials” within 24 hours, or they could be fined a lot of money. It is a second way for people who aren’t happy with how the platforms handle moderation.
The changes to Australia’s On-line Security Act came into effect on Sunday after being approved by the Australian Senate last June. They were called a “world’s first cyber-abuse take-down scheme to protect adults.” If the eSafety Commissioner doesn’t get a platform to remove a post within 48 hours, he or she can send the platform a notice to remove it.
In other words, this doesn’t mean that Aussies can go to the federal government about every single tweet they find offensive. The offending posts must be “threatening, harassing, or offensive,” as well as likely meant to cause “significant harm to an Australian adult.” Because of this, only hurt feelings will not be enough, and posts about things like race or gender will not fall under this law.
“Cyber-abuse materials” that are “targeted at the Australian adult” have been deliberately set high “to make sure it doesn’t stifle freedom of speech.”
“These new laws put Australia at the forefront of the fight against online abuse and harm,” said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. “Australians will have even more protection in the fight against online harm thru our strategy of prevention, safety, and proactive change in the online area,” she said.
If an organization doesn’t take down a post when asked, they could be fined up to A$555,000. In the event that they keep on refusing, the consequences could be even worse.
As a result of new laws, “if websites or apps consistently don’t take down content from eSafety, they could have their websites or apps removed from search engines and their apps removed from app stores,” said the Australian minister’s office in a press release last December.
On Sunday, Fletcher said, “The internet has brought great benefits, but it has also brought new risks, and Australians rightly expect the big tech companies to do more to make their products safer for customers.”
