Australia continues to tighten regulations on technology companies

Australia plans to ban social media use for under-16s and impose stricter rules on social media platforms to combat fake news.

Meta Group logo. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

According to a VNA correspondent in Sydney, in the context of the escalating battle with big technology companies, the Australian Federal Government has announced a plan to impose a "digital duty of care" on technology companies to minimize the harm caused by online platforms.

The announcement follows controversial government plans to ban social media use for under-16s and impose stricter rules on digital platforms such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok to combat misinformation and fake news.

Explaining why the government plans to impose a “digital duty of care,” Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said that the “digital duty of care” is a legal obligation to keep people safe. It is not just about not causing harm, but also about taking reasonable steps to prevent harm. This is a positive step forward and is consistent with other jurisdictions around the world .

The proposed “digital duty of care” would require tech companies like Meta, Google and X to protect consumers from harm on their online platforms, and to conduct regular risk assessments to proactively identify harmful content, such as content that is harmful to young people, harms mental health, content that instructs and encourages harmful behaviour or other illegal content, behaviour and activities.

Along with putting the onus on tech companies to protect users of their platforms, these actions also empower consumers to fight harmful content.

For example, consumers can submit online complaints about harmful material directly to technology companies, who are legally obligated to address these complaints.

In the event that a tech company refuses to remove content, users can complain to the Digital Services Coordinator for further investigation. They can even take their complaint to court if they cannot achieve a satisfactory result./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/australia-tiep-tuc-that-chat-quy-dinh-doi-voi-cac-cong-ty-cong-nghe-post993239.vnp