Australian PM says draft social media rules about taking back control

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended a set of proposed social media regulations, asserting they aim to restore control to individuals rather than the government. The United States expressed serious concerns about the draft legislation, fearing it could lead to censorship. The US embassy in Canberra raised alarms over provisions that would impose a "duty of care" on social media giants.

Albanese, speaking in New York, emphasized that the draft laws do not grant government control but instead empower people to determine what they receive on their devices. He clarified that the legislation is framed to give control back to individuals, thus addressing the US concerns about censorship. Under the proposed laws, social media platforms could face fines of up to A$109 million (US$78 million) for failing to safeguard young users from harmful content, such as pornography, online bullying, content glorifying crime, and promoting eating disorders.

Additionally, platforms would be required to allow users to opt out of algorithms determining content displayed on social media feeds. The draft laws are expected to be presented to Australia's parliament later this year following consultations with social media companies, industry bodies, and civil society groups. The US embassy warned that the legislation could enforce uniform platform designs and risk becoming a tool for viewpoint-based censorship.

They also noted that the laws would primarily impact US-based companies and stressed their opposition to extraterritorial censorship of American online speech. Australia previously implemented a ban on children using social media platforms in December as part of a world-first initiative to protect children from online bullying and manipulative algorithms.