Politics · Australia · 7 hrs ago
Greens seek stronger digital safety laws, including right to sue tech firms
Labor plans to introduce digital duty of care laws to Australia’s parliament this week.
The laws would require online platforms and services to take steps to protect users from specified harms, including pornography, bullying and content promoting eating disorders.
They would also let people turn off algorithm-recommended content, and allow the eSafety commissioner to issue removal notices and fines.
The Greens, led in negotiations by communications spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young, want people harmed online to be able to sue technology companies for compensation.
They also want fines linked to a company’s global revenue and stronger safeguards against addictive algorithms.
The Coalition and One Nation oppose the proposed laws, so Labor is expected to negotiate with the Greens to secure support.
The government has said it will work with the Greens and other parties, but the sources do not say whether it will accept the proposed changes.
The Greens want Australians to be able to sue technology companies for compensation if they are harmed online.
The party says it will seek changes to the government’s digital duty of care laws, due to be introduced to parliament this week.
The Greens also want fines linked to companies’ global revenue and stronger safeguards against addictive algorithms.
The proposed laws would require platforms and other services to address specified online harms, with enforcement powers for the eSafety commissioner.
The Coalition and One Nation have criticised the laws as censorship, while the Coalition has warned they could restrict free speech.
- Who
- The Greens, led on the issue by communications spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young, are seeking changes to the laws.
- What
- They want individuals to be able to sue technology companies for harm caused online and seek compensation.
- When
- The laws are due to be introduced to parliament this week.
- Where
- Australia.
- Why
- The Greens say legal action and penalties tied to global revenue would help change technology companies’ behaviour and improve online safety.
Greens
Coalition and One Nation
Private legal action
Greens
Australians harmed online should be able to sue platforms and seek compensation.
Coalition and One Nation
The Coalition and One Nation have described the proposed duty of care laws as censorship; the Coalition says they could restrict free speech.
Enforcement
Greens
Fines should be linked to companies’ global revenue, and enforcement should not be left to the eSafety commissioner alone.
Coalition and One Nation
The Coalition and One Nation oppose the proposed laws; the sources do not state their position on the Greens’ specific proposal for revenue-linked fines.
To meaningfully change the behaviour of big tech companies, the digital duty of care laws must include the right for Australians who have been harmed online to be able to take legal action and seek compensation for the damage done
We want these platforms to embed safety by design
Labor must scrap its proposed digital duty of care and go back to the drawing board.
The government announced plans to legislate a digital duty of care and establish fines for platforms that fail to protect users from harm.
Coalition communications spokesperson Sarah Henderson criticised the proposed laws as dangerous and undemocratic.
The government is due to introduce the digital duty of care laws to parliament.
- Maximum fine under Labor’s draft laws
- A$109.2 million
- Greens’ proposed fines
- A percentage of technology companies’ global revenue
- Proposed individual remedy
- The right to sue technology companies and seek compensation
- Regulator
- eSafety commissioner
- Laws’ planned introduction
- This week
Sources
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