Australia’s online safety bill
Date: 25 January 2022 Tags: Security ThreatsIssue
Australia’s Online Safety Act has come into effect. The law was passed in July 2021 and allows adults to report cases of online bullying in the country.
Details
-
The eSafety commissioner has powers to order social media websites to take down content related to bullying against Australian adults within 24 hours.
-
Failure of conforming to the order can lead to heavy fines up to $555,000. The issue of is bullying is more detailed than current cyber laws in the country.
-
The removal of bullying content from online site has been shortened to 24 hours from the present 48 hours. The law is especially made for adults.
The act
-
The eSafety commissioner will be responsible for implementing the act to promote the online safety of Australians.
-
The commissioner will be required to supervise the complaints and objections regarding sharing intimate images without consent.
-
After a complaint is registered, a removal notice would also be sent to the hosting service provider or the person who had posted the cyber-bullying content.
-
A similar process will be followed for non-consensual posting of intimate pictures. They will be liable for penalty if not adhered.
-
The commissioner can send a link-deletion notice to search engines to stop providing links to certain material.
Process
-
Firstly, individuals have to report on the social media app they are being bullied or abused. Next, a complaint with the police should be filed.
-
The issue can be reported to the eSafety commissioner if the content is not removed. They will provide notice for removing the content.
The online trolling bill
-
The proposed bill would allow the government to hold social media companies responsible for the trolling comments and content posted on their website.
-
Social media organization would be asked to unveil the identity of the trolls, failing of which would attract penalty.