US criticises Australia's proposed algorithm opt-out laws as 'censorship'
Under the draft laws, tech firms face fines if they do not give users the option to switch off algorithms.
US condemns Australia’s proposed algorithm opt-out laws as ‘censorship’
The US has criticised Australia’s plan to let users opt out of social media algorithms, saying it amounts to “censorship of protected speech”.
Under Australia’s draft digital duty of care laws, tech companies could face substantial fines if they do not provide users with the choice to switch off algorithms in an effort to shield them from harmful content.
In a rare submission on the proposed laws, the US embassy in Canberra said it had “serious concerns” and warned that allowing the government to “enforce vague definitions of ‘harm’” would result in “viewpoint-based censorship”.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the legislation was not about giving governments control, but about returning it to individuals.
“We ask that Australia clarify how exactly ‘harm’ and ‘risks’ shall be determined... ensuring these definitions do not encroach on protected speech,” the US said in its submission.
The US also argued that the proposed laws could risk “reducing the reach of independent journalists or other voices whose content touches on sensitive or controversial topics” if tech firms were required to “pre-emptively demote” them.
It said an opt-out option would “allow regulators to impose rigid, one-size-fits-all platform design requirements” on tech firms, and that this could affect users outside Australia as well.
“Mandated platform design features, especially when applied to algorithms, may affect what users see, say, and hear not just in or from Australia, but globally.”
The US also urged Australia to address industry concerns that the “biases and preferences” of government officials do not “disadvantage independent or minority-viewpoint speech”.
Another concern was that the proposed laws could harm Australia’s “reputation as a jurisdiction that enables innovation,” the submission said.
The criticism comes during Albanese’s visit to the US, where he is speaking at the UN General Assembly about his government’s tech policies.
On Tuesday, local time in New York, Albanese responded to the criticism and to claims that the proposed laws amount to government overreach.
“It’s not about giving government control,” he told the media in New York.
“It’s about giving people back control over what they receive on their devices.”
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, used his speech at the UN to downplay fears about AI, rejecting calls for guardrails and arguing it should be renamed “super intelligence” because “the use of the word artificial makes it sound fake”.
Australia’s latest move to protect online users from harm comes less than a year after the country introduced a social media ban for children under 16 last December.