Penalties for social media networks that fail to remove “abhorrent” content, including fines of up to 10% of annual turnover and jail terms for executives of up to three years, are under consideration by the Australian government. The government has been considering a range of options in response to concerns about online hate speech since last year, when it passed legislation banning vilification against people based on their race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. If the bill becomes law, it would pressure Facebook, Twitter and other sites to do whatever they can to pull videos of violent crime. Platforms that do not notify Australian authorities on discovering streamed violent content could be fined AUD840,000 ($593,000), with individuals facing fines of AUD168,000. Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison said the proposed legislation could be a “model approach” for G20 countries.
Penalties for social media networks that fail to remove “abhorrent” content, including fines of up to 10% of annual turnover and jail terms for executives of up to three years, are under consideration by the Australian government. The government has been considering a range of options in response to concerns about online hate speech since last year, when it passed legislation banning vilification against people based on their race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. Platforms that do not notify Australian authorities on discovering streamed violent content could be fined AUD840,000 ($593,000), with individuals facing fines of AUD168,000. Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison said the proposed legislation could be a “model approach” for G20 countries.