US criticises Australia's proposed algorithm opt-out laws as 'censorship'
The US called Australia's proposed social-media algorithm opt-out law censorship of protected speech.
The US embassy in Canberra said Australia's draft digital duty-of-care law, which would fine platforms that do not let users turn off social media algorithms, amounts to censorship of protected speech. It asked Australia to clarify how harm and risk will be defined and warned that mandated design changes could affect users outside Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the proposal gives individuals control rather than government control. The criticism follows Australia's social media ban for children under 16, introduced last December.
- Draft law would fine firms that deny users an algorithm opt-out.
- The US embassy warned of viewpoint censorship and extraterritorial effects.
- Albanese said the bill returns control of feeds to individuals.
- Australia banned social media for children under 16 last December.
Full article419 words · extracted from bbc.com · click to collapse
2 hours ago
Lana LamSydney
The US has criticised Australia's proposal to give users the ability to opt out of social media algorithms, saying it amounts to "censorship of protected speech".
Under Australia's draft digital duty of care laws, tech firms risk hefty fines if they fail to give users the option to turn off algorithms in a bid to protect them from harmful content.
In a rare submission to the proposed laws, the US embassy in Canberra said it had "serious concerns" and allowing the government to "enforce vague definitions of 'harm'" would lead to "viewpoint-based censorship".
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the legislation was not about giving governments control but giving it back to individuals.
"We ask that Australia clarify how exactly 'harm' and 'risks' shall be determined... ensuring these definitions do not encroach on protected speech," the US said in its submission.
The US also claimed that the proposed laws may risk "reducing the reach of independent journalists or other voices whose content touches on sensitive or controversial topics" if tech firms had to "pre-emptively demote" them.
An opt-out option would "allow regulators to impose rigid, one-size-fits-all platform design requirements" on tech firms and this could affect users outside of Australia, it said.
"Mandated platform design features, especially when applied to algorithms, may affect what users see, say, and hear not just in or from Australia, but globally."
The US also called on Australia to address industry concerns that the "biases and preferences" of government officials do not "disadvantage independent or minority-viewpoint speech".
Another worry was that the proposed laws could affect Australia's "reputation as a jurisdiction that enables innovation," the submission said.
The criticism comes during Albanese's visit to the US to speak at the UN's General Assembly about his government's tech policies.
On Tuesday, local time in New York, Albanese responded to the criticism and claims of the proposed laws being government overreach.
"It's not about giving government control," he told the media in New York.
"It's about giving people back control over what they receive on their devices."
US President Donald Trump meanwhile used his speech at the UN to play down fears about AI, rejecting proposals for guardrails on it and arguing it should be renamed "super intelligence" as "the use of the word artificial makes it sound fake".
This latest move by Australia to protect its online users from harm comes less than a year after the country introduced a social media ban for children under 16 last December.