Facebook-Streamed Violence Banned Under New Australian Law

Australia passed legislation aimed at stopping violent crime and acts of extremism from being live-streamed on the internet, according to Bloomberg. The Government recieved warnings from the legal profession and technology companies that the new law is flawed.

The legislation, drafted in the wake of the deadly mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead, carries penalties of up to 10 percent of a company’s annual turnover and potential prison sentences of up to three years for executives of social-media companies who fail to expeditiously remove abhorrent violent material from their platforms.

The bill, aimed at preventing the “weaponizing“ of social media platforms by terrorists and criminals, became law after passing the lower house, the last sitting day before parliament dissolves ahead of elections next month. It cleared the upper house with no debate or amendments.

Australia’s measures come after Singapore announced plans to introduce tough new laws to hold online outlets accountable for the spread of fake news. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is calling for new global regulations for everything from hate speech online to privacy and data protection.

The Law Council of Australia says it’s concerned the Australian legislation “is being thought up on the run without any proper consultation.“ The council says it is not clear whether companies would be fined according to their global annual revenue, or on turnover generated in Australia, adding the legislation meant firms would be punished based on their size rather than the seriousness of the breach.

The Digital Industry Group, an Australian consortium of tech companies, slammed the country’s new legislation as ineffective and out of step with regulation in other democratic countries. “This law, which was conceived and passed in five days without any meaningful consultation, does nothing to address hate speech, which was the fundamental motivation for the tragic Christchurch terrorist attacks,“ said DIGI’s managing director, Sunita Bose.