Key facts
- Australia's proposed law aims to give users more control over algorithmic feeds on social media.
- The legislation would empower Australia's Communications Minister to set binding rules on platforms.
- A U.S. warning highlighted potential unintended consequences, including overly stringent content moderation by low-risk services.
- Australian lawmakers argue the law empowers users, not the government, and addresses tech companies treating users like products.
- Lawmakers cited concerns about misogynistic, violent, antisemitic, and homophobic material being sent to young people.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended a proposed law aimed at increasing social media platforms' duty of care, pushing back against a U.S. warning about potential unintended consequences. Speaking in New York, Albanese stated he would "always stand up for Australia’s national interest" and framed the reform as a way to give users more control over the content they see on their devices, rather than granting government control.
The proposal would allow users to opt out of algorithmic feeds and empower the Communications Minister to issue binding rules on compliance and harms that platforms must avoid. An assessment by the Office of Impact Analysis, part of the Prime Minister's department, published on September 9, identified possible unintended outcomes, such as low-risk online services adopting excessively cautious approaches to harm prevention, potentially leading to more stringent content moderation than intended. The government indicated this risk would be managed through advice to social media companies.