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Sydney. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Friday attacked Australia’s left-wing government over a law that would fine social media firms for failing to stop the spread of misinformation online. Musk has called the Australian government ‘fascist’. Australia’s Labor government on Thursday introduced a law that could fine internet platforms up to 5% of their global revenue for promoting misinformation. It aims to join efforts around the world to rein in tech giants.
Under the law Australia is preparing to introduce, tech platforms will have to set codes of conduct to stop the spread of dangerous falsehoods and have them approved by the regulator. If a platform fails to do so, the regulator will set its own standards and fine firms for not complying. Musk, who considers himself a champion of freedom of expression, responded to a post by an ‘X’ user linking a Reuters story about misinformation laws to a single word, “fascist”.
A spokesperson for Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said via email that companies operating in Australia must comply with Australian laws. “This bill improves the transparency and accountability of platforms to users and Australians,” Rowland said. Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said on Channel Nine’s breakfast show, “Elon Musk’s positions on freedom of expression are more complex than the Kama Sutra. When it serves his business interests, he is a champion of freedom of expression and when he doesn’t like it … he shuts it down completely.”
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones told ABC television that social media platforms should not publish scam content, deepfake content and livestream violence in the name of freedom of expression. In a previous confrontation with the Australian government, in April ‘X’ went to court to challenge the cyber regulator’s order to remove some posts about the stabbing of a bishop in Sydney, after which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Musk an “arrogant billionaire”.
Tag: Australia News, Elon Musk, Fake news
first published : September 14, 2024, 6:05 PM IST
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