The US government criticised Australia’s plan to clamp down on social media algorithms and harmful content online, opening up a fresh political front in Canberra’s campaign to get tougher on Big Tech.
Australia’s proposed digital duty-of-care, released this month, would force a raft of online services, including gaming companies, social media operators and artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, to make their products safe by design for under-18s. The plan aims to stem the distribution of abusive and harmful material online, and imposes fresh burdens on the operating models of major platforms.
A key feature of the law is a proposal to allow social media users in Australia to opt out of social media algorithms. Those individuals would be able to block content suggested by the platform, and instead choose what they want in their feeds.
In a written response to the law, the US Embassy in Canberra likened the plan to "facilitating censorship,” and said it risks imposing "disproportionate compliance burdens on American companies.”
In a statement on its website, the embassy said: "We ask that Australia withdraw any plans to mandate that platforms algorithmically suppress content based on ambiguous government-defined safety criteria.”
The unusually sharp rebuke highlights the unease in the Trump administration as policymakers worldwide deepen efforts to rein in technology giants such as Meta Platforms Inc. More broadly, the intervention underscores a global debate over whether guardrails, and government-imposed shackles, are required to limit the speed of AI development and related technology.
The US Embassy warned Australia’s planned law could have significant effects in other countries, should they adopt their own versions of the legislation.
"The proposed digital duty of care regime, depending on how it is implemented, potentially raises significant concerns regarding fair competition, market access, and trade treatment for American companies, independent media, and content creators,” the embassy said.
Australia’s duty-of-care proposal follows its world-first social media ban for under-16s – which went into effect late last year. It was quickly followed by governments across the planet adopting similar restrictions.
Last month, Meta agreed to pay up to US$18bil (RM73.3bil) in landmark settlements to resolve social media claims from US states. The European Union has also been investigating claims that Meta’s products are addictive to children, as the bloc increases regulatory pressure on the US social media company.
Responding to the embassy’s statement, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in New York that the law was not about giving the government control.
"It’s about giving people back control over what they receive on their devices,” he said. "I will always stand up for Australia’s national interests and the digital duty of care is something we’ve foreshadowed for some period of time.” – Bloomberg
