Tech giants could face billions of dollars in fines for failing to tackle disinformation under proposed Australian laws, which a watchdog yesterday said would bring “mandatory” standards to the little-regulated sector.
Under the proposed legislation, the owners of platforms such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, TikTok and podcasting services would face penalties worth up to 5 percent of annual global turnover — some of the highest proposed anywhere in the world.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), a government watchdog, would be granted powers to force companies to prevent misinformation or disinformation from spreading and stop it from being monetized.
Photo: AP
“The legislation, if passed, would provide the ACMA with a range of new powers to compel information from digital platforms, register and enforce mandatory industry codes as well as make industry standards,” an ACMA spokesperson said.
The watchdog would not have the power to take down or sanction individual posts, they said.
However, it could punish platforms for failing to monitor and combat intentionally “false, misleading and deceptive” content that could cause “serious harm.”
The rules would echo legislation expected to come into force in the EU, where tech giants could face fines as high as 6 percent of annual turnover and outright bans on operating inside the bloc.
Australia has been at the forefront of efforts to regulate digital platforms, prompting tech firms to make mostly unfulfilled threats to withdraw from the Australian market.
The proposed bill seeks to strengthen the voluntary Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation that was launched in 2021, but has had limited effect.
Tech giants including Adobe, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Redbubble, TikTok and Twitter are signatories of the code.
The planned laws were unveiled on Sunday and come amid a surge of misinformation in Australia concerning a referendum this year on indigenous rights.
Australians are to be asked whether the constitution should recognize aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and if an indigenous consultative body should be created to weigh in on proposed legislation.
The Australian Electoral Commission said it had witnessed an increase in misinformation and abuse online about the referendum process.
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