A draft law from the Australian government is warning tech and social media giants to remove misinformation from their platforms or be prepared to pay hefty fines.
The new draft invoice You’ll see the country’s media regulator – the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) – armed with the power to make it mandatory for digital platforms like Google and Facebook to keep records of misinformation and disinformation on their platforms.
These companies will be required to turn over these records at any time required by the ACMA.
In addition, the ACMA will be able to order and enforce an industry-wide “code of practice” that introduces new measures to combat misinformation. ACMA will be able to create and implement its own industry standard.
Any breach of this proposed new standard would prompt the tech giants to pay a maximum fine of $4.6 million (AU$6.88 million), or 5% of global trading volume. For perspective, 5% of Facebook’s parent company’s Meta turnover is about $5.3 billion (AU$8 billion).
According to June 26 ABC a reportFederal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the current Labor government was “committed to keeping Australians safe online”.
The new bill would “ensure that the ACMA has the powers it needs to hold digital platforms accountable for false and misleading information about its services,” according to Rowland.
Rowland added that the bill would allow AMCA “to see what the platforms are doing and what actions they are taking to ensure compliance.”
Online safety is a shared responsibility. We all have a role to play in protecting Australians from scams, misinformation, misinformation and internet abuse.
Today I met with the Meta team, including Global Vice President of Public Policy Joel Kaplan, to discuss how we can do this. pic.twitter.com/l8BiKS1yee
– Michel Rowland (@MRowlandMP) June 6, 2023
Some worry that the proposed legislation could have a significant impact on freedom of expression, particularly given the bill’s definition of misleading information — which remains open to interpretation.
The bill defines disinformation as “unintentionally false, misleading, or deceptive content.” Disinformation is defined as “misleading information intentionally disseminated to cause significant harm.”
David Coleman, the shadow communications minister from the opposition Liberal Party, raised concerns, stating that “this is a complex area of politics and government overreach must be avoided”.
“(The public) will want to know who exactly decides whether a particular piece of content is disinformation or disinformation,” he added.
Related: Blame for the failed blockchain upgrade of ASX’s CHESS system rages on
general consultation The Communications Law Amendment Bill (Combating Misinformation and Disinformation) expires on Sunday, August 6.
The Australian government has been pushing hard to bring the tech giants to heel for some time. On August 12, Google cough Increased $40m (AUD60m) fine for misleading Australian consumers about data collection.
In February 2021, Facebook temporarily banned Australian users were prevented from viewing or sharing news content on their newsfeeds after a row escalated with the government over proposed media bargaining laws.
magazine: Crypto Regulation – Does SEC Chairman Gary Gensler Have the Final Word?