Australia seems to be following in Europe’s footsteps to penalize social media apps supplying users with misinformation online.
The government is working on some new laws that combat the growing cases of misinformation within the platforms.
As per the latest law that was put in front of the country’s parliament, one of its main regulators spoke about getting more powers to investigate the issue. This means punishing other apps for distributing false content that was shared by others.
These laws would give rise to more transparent situations for reporting by these companies and also hold those accountable for the actions that it called unlawful. This would also give rise to fixed requirements that must be met for the removal of any such content on the platforms.
In those situations when a social media app does not comply, it could be fined as their punishment with figures going up to 5% of the overall revenue.
As mentioned previously, the proposals mirror the different rules implemented across the EU under the DMA. This has to do with illegal and harmful steps seen online and can go as far as to extend and include disinformation spread as it has to do with illegal material.
The issue here is linked to the fact that there is no fixed law in place regarding misinformation and disinformation. This means no such regulation puts more power into the hands of regulators and lawmakers. Whatever any interprets is considered right and this has been an issue for a long time now.
Enforcement is not simple and therefore we can see how many tech giants will show opposition when they find out. As it is, tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk criticized the move and suggested it went against free speech.
As per Australia’s leading media literacy sources, 80% of citizens feel the issue of misinformation spread is concerning. Nothing is being done and the issue spreading must be addressed before it’s too late.
It’s certainly not a new concern but one that has been ongoing for so long. The risks linked to it being enforced are great but not as much as the safety of users, the government feels. Musk has opposed it and vowed to defy it until the end of time, blanketing it under a violation of free speech.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: Meta Teams Up With TikTok and Snapchat To Detect and Delete Content Related To Self-Harm
The government is working on some new laws that combat the growing cases of misinformation within the platforms.
As per the latest law that was put in front of the country’s parliament, one of its main regulators spoke about getting more powers to investigate the issue. This means punishing other apps for distributing false content that was shared by others.
These laws would give rise to more transparent situations for reporting by these companies and also hold those accountable for the actions that it called unlawful. This would also give rise to fixed requirements that must be met for the removal of any such content on the platforms.
In those situations when a social media app does not comply, it could be fined as their punishment with figures going up to 5% of the overall revenue.
As mentioned previously, the proposals mirror the different rules implemented across the EU under the DMA. This has to do with illegal and harmful steps seen online and can go as far as to extend and include disinformation spread as it has to do with illegal material.
The issue here is linked to the fact that there is no fixed law in place regarding misinformation and disinformation. This means no such regulation puts more power into the hands of regulators and lawmakers. Whatever any interprets is considered right and this has been an issue for a long time now.
Enforcement is not simple and therefore we can see how many tech giants will show opposition when they find out. As it is, tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk criticized the move and suggested it went against free speech.
As per Australia’s leading media literacy sources, 80% of citizens feel the issue of misinformation spread is concerning. Nothing is being done and the issue spreading must be addressed before it’s too late.
It’s certainly not a new concern but one that has been ongoing for so long. The risks linked to it being enforced are great but not as much as the safety of users, the government feels. Musk has opposed it and vowed to defy it until the end of time, blanketing it under a violation of free speech.
Read next: Meta Teams Up With TikTok and Snapchat To Detect and Delete Content Related To Self-Harm
