Australia's internet watchdog sent legal notices to Google, X and Meta on Tuesday, demanding the tech giants explain how they police “violent extremist content”.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant said disturbing content continued to circulate on mainstream social media platforms, including footage from the 2019 mosque shooting in New Zealand.
Notices have been sent to six companies: Google, Meta, X, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Reddit, and the company currently has 49 days to respond.
“It is no coincidence that we chose these companies for notification because there is evidence that their services are being misused by terrorists and violent extremists,” Inman-Grant said.
“We want to know why and what they are doing to address this issue.”
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Australia has been at the forefront of efforts to hold big tech companies accountable for what their users post online under the landmark Online Safety Act passed in 2021.
Inman Grant, himself a former employee of rebranded Twitter, said the legal notice would allow regulators to “look behind the scenes at what they're doing and what they're not doing.” said it was helpful.
This is not the first time Australia has targeted tech giants, issuing a similar legal notice in February asking them to address child sexual abuse content.
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However, Australia's efforts to enforce social media regulations are sometimes seen as indifferent.
The legal notice asks companies to “report on the steps they take to protect Australians from terrorist and violent extremist material and activities”.
The Australian Electronic Safety Commission recently fined X $610,500 (US$388,000) for failing to demonstrate how it combats child sexual abuse content.
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X, formerly known as Twitter, has launched its own legal action to contest the fine.
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