The federal government has warned that big internet platforms will be vulnerable to regulation and a mandatory industry code if they don’t address harmful online misinformation.
The government announced that during the first half of this year, an exposure draught of legislation giving the Australian Communications and Media Authority regulatory authority over websites like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok would be made public.
The government’s “professional news” and authorised electoral content will be exempt from the code.
To increase the transparency of platforms’ responses to disinformation, the ACMA will be given the authority to compile data and maintain records of those efforts.
According to communications minister Michelle Rowland, if the regulator determines that those initiatives, such as the voluntary code developed by the Digital Industry Group (DIGI), are insufficient, it will have the authority to establish a required code.
The first stage will be to extend DIGI’s code to systems that have not ratified it.
Rowland stated that rather than single pieces of content, ACMA will concentrate on “structural flaws.”
The legislation’s exposure draught will serve as the foundation for a further public consultation before it is tabled later in the year.
The actions are in reaction to the ACMA’s 2021 recommendations.