Australia considers fining social media companies for fake news

Australian officials are set to introduce legislation that would implement fines for social media companies that fail to remove disinformation and misinformation from their platforms. 

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Sunday that the parliament’s Communications Minister Michelle Rowland plans to release the draft legislation, giving the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) new powers to hold digital platforms accountable for spreading fake news. 

According to the proposed legislation, the AMCA would be able to impose a new “code” on specific companies that repeatedly fail to combat the spread of false information and fake news on their platforms. 

The maximum penalty for systemic breaches of a registered code would be $2.75 million and the maximum penalty for breaching an industry standard would be $6.88 million, according to the Herald. 

The proposed legislation would also let AMCA be allowed to obtain information and documents from digital platforms relating to misinformation and disinformation on their services, though the government says the authority may not have a role in determining what’s true or false. 

“Mis- and disinformation sows division within the community, undermines trust and can threaten public health and safety,” Rowland said in a statement, the Herald reported. 

“The Albanese government is committed to keeping Australians safe online, and that includes ensuring the ACMA has the powers it needs to hold digital platforms to account for mis- and disinformation on their services.”

Rowland also said that the legislation is aimed to “strike the right balance between protection from harmful mis- and disinformation online and freedom of speech”.

“I encourage all stakeholders to make a submission and look forward to introducing the bill into parliament later this year, following the consultation process,” she said.

The proposed laws come as the European Union (EU) also enacted similar laws toward social media companies last year, the Herald reported.