Australia picks new fight with social media cos? Labour govt proposes legislation to allow users to decide algorithm

The Australian government on Tuesday (local time) proposed new legislation that would allow social media users to opt out of platform algorithms, potentially marking a significant step in global efforts to regulate Big Tech and curb online harm.

Australia announces new legislation: Here's what we know

The draft bill, known as the Digital Duty of Care, was introduced by the Labour government and would allow social media users across the country to control algorithm-driven recommendations, block suggested content, and choose what appears in their feeds, Bloomberg reported.

The latest proposal from the Labour government could set the stage for a potential confrontation with platform operators such as Meta, TikTok and others. The move comes nearly nine months after Australia became the first country last year to impose a social media ban on children under 16, a decision that was soon followed by governments worldwide adopting similar restrictions.

Anika Wells, Australia's Communications Minister, said at a press conference, "There’s been some seismic cases in the past few weeks," and added, "This is our contribution.”

The duty-of-care approach seeks to require technology companies to build safety into their products, placing additional obligations on the operating models of major platforms.

According to the report, the draft legislation would require platform operators to send a notification to both new and existing users, stating that they are offering a choice over their default feed.

Some of the other features of the bill include

Digital services, including online games, apps, and artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, will be mandated to protect those under 18 years of age from design features that have negative behavioural impacts, such as addictive features or those that can affect a young person's self-esteem.

Such services will also be required to protect under-18s from:

1. Content that encourages, promotes or facilitates eating disorders

2. Material that promotes hostility towards women or opposes gender equality

3. Pornographic content

4. Content that glorifies criminal activity or dangerous, life-threatening stunts

5. Content that causes severe mental distress, including abuse and bullying

Australia’s latest move comes amid growing global scrutiny of social media platforms, with governments and regulators in the US and European Union increasingly turning to lawsuits, investigations and new regulations over concerns about online harms.

Meta faces major setback in the US, European Union

Last month, Instagram and Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms, agreed to pay roughly $18 billion to settle lawsuits over social media claims from US states.

Under the settlement agreement, the company would introduce new safeguards across its platforms, including limits on how long young users can scroll and measures to prevent them from disabling certain safety settings without parental approval.

In the European Union, the company has been facing scrutiny over products that are addictive to children, as the bloc intensifies regulatory pressure on the social media giant.

While the details of Australia's draft bill and its implementation are yet to be made clear, it remains to be seen how the move would affect the operations of major social media platforms and their approach to online safety.

(with Bloomberg inputs)