Australian PM says draft social media rules about taking back control

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended new draft social media regulations after the US expressed concerns that the legislation could lead to censorship. The US embassy in Canberra warned that the proposed rules, which would give people control over what they receive on their devices, could result in government censorship.

Albanese clarified that the laws were not about governmental control but empowering individuals to decide what they see on their screens. Under the proposed legislation, social media companies could face fines up to A$109 million (US$78 million) for failing to protect young users from harmful content. These include pornography, online bullying, content that glorifies crime, and content promoting eating disorders.

The draft laws would also require social media platforms to allow users to opt out of the algorithms that determine the content they see. The legislation is expected to be introduced to Australia's parliament later this year following consultations with social media companies, industry bodies, and civil society groups. The US embassy highlighted that the laws might impose rigid requirements on platform design, potentially leading to viewpoint-based censorship.

They also expressed opposition to foreign measures that could result in extraterritorial censorship of American speech online. Australia already implemented a ban on children using social media platforms in December, part of a worldwide effort to protect minors from online bullying and harmful algorithms.