Musk calls Australian government 'fascists' over misinformation law

FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France, June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, on Friday called Australia's centre-left government "fascists" over proposed legislation to slap fines on social media firms for failing to prevent the spread of misinformation online.

Australia's Labor government on Thursday unveiled legislation which could fine internet platforms up to 5% of their global revenue for enabling misinformation, joining a worldwide push to rein in borderless tech giants.