Source : Perth Now news
WHAT ARE THE CHANGES?
* A new digital duty of care will come into place for social media platforms and other digital services, including AI chatbots
* This includes the government’s “my feed, my way” initiative to let people control how their social media feed is created
* For users, this is a choice whether to allow an algorithm to control their social media feed or only see content from accounts they follow
* Tech companies will also be required to ensure people are protected from harmful content, which for adults means any content such as child exploitation material, violence, threatening behaviour or harassment, or promotion of terrorism
*Any users under 18 will also be limited from harmful content such as pornography, misogynistic content, promotion of eating disorders, material that glorifies crime or dangerous stunts, or cyberbullying
* Companies could face fines of $100 million if they don’t enact the duty of care
* The legislation needs to pass parliament before being written into law
WHY IS IT CONTROVERSIAL?
* Opposition Leader Angus Taylor suggested before seeing the draft it could be akin to censorship if political content was removed under harm-minimisation measures
* Communications Minister Anika Wells ruled out political speech being censored
* A similar policy has been in place in the EU since 2023, giving users a choice between an algorithmic or chronological feed
* Users reported they were automatically returned to personalised feeds when they reopened the apps and a chronological feed was made harder to find or less convenient to use
* While the European model is opt-out, Australian users will have a pop-up display a choice between a feed curated by an algorithm or one made up of accounts they follow
WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING?
* “This is not about giving government control. It’s about giving people control. It’s about putting choice back into the hands of Australians online through our digital duty of care” – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
* “With our digital duty of care, we are taking the next step forward by requiring tech companies to take responsibility for the harms that their products, tools, and features are causing Australians the same way that we have safety standards for cars, for food, for appliances” – Communications Minister Anika Wells
* “The atrocities, if they continue without this bill, will be equivalent to the atrocities that occurred through World War II” – Wayne Holdsworth, an advocate whose teenage son died by suicide after falling victim to online sextortion
* “The Butterfly Helpline hears from people every day whose feeds are filled with idealised, unrealistic and weight-focused content, and we know that they are one of the key drivers for the development of an eating disorder” – Butterfly Foundation chief executive Jim Hungerford
* “We want to see Australians protected online, but we do not want to see the government step in and tell Australians what they can see and can’t see, and try and shut down free speech, as I believe the government is doing” – opposition communications spokeswoman Sarah Henderson
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