eSafety Commissioner to force Google, Facebook, Apple to remove child sex abuse material, pro-terror content

The worst of the web will have to be wiped out by tech titans like Google and Facebook under new Aussie rules expected to become the global benchmark, the eSafety Commissioner has revealed.

The worst of the world wide web – such as child sexual abuse material and pro-terror content – will have to be wiped out by tech titans including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter under new Australian rules that are expected to become the global benchmark.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that after nearly two years of negotiations, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is now satisfied with protections in five codes developed by industry covering social media, app stores, hosting services such as GoDaddy, ISPs like Telstra and Optus and equipment makers – for example, Nintendo and Sony game consoles.

But Ms Inman Grant rejected a proposed code for apps, websites and storage services like iCloud, along with another for dating sites and instant messaging, because she believed they lacked “appropriate community safeguards.”

For example, the “designated internet services” code put forward by the sector didn’t require file and photo storage services to detect and flag child sexual abuse material.

“And the ‘relevant electronic services’ code also doesn’t require email services and some partially encrypted messaging services to detect and flag this material either,” Ms Inman Grant said.

eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“eSafety and indeed the wider community, expect that these companies should take reasonable steps to prevent their services from being used to store and distribute this horrendous content,” she said.

That means the eSafety Commissioner will now set tough industry standards in those areas.

She also reserved a decision on search engines, because of the emergence of artificial intelligence algorithms which can generate ghastly content.

“AI tools are developing child sexual abuse material for any predator’s predilection,” Ms Inman Grant told The Telegraph. And Daesh – aka Islamic State – is using AI to make terror propaganda, she added.

Google and Microsoft, which operates Bing, have been given a month to address her concerns.

Ms Inman Grant said the industry codes would be in force by mid- December and that the industry standards should be operational in June next year.

If companies covered by the new rules fail to seek and destroy the digitally despicable, they will face fines of up to $687,000 per day.

It’s hoped that the codes and standards will have global benefits, because the deplorable material covered is typically stored outside Australia.

Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft are in the firing line. Picture Justin Tallis for AFP

The need for action was increasing, Ms Inman Grant said.

In the first three months of this year, eSafety had witnessed a 285 per cent increase in reports of child abuse material. This follows consecutive year-on-year doublings of reports during the pandemic.

“This really is a watershed moment,” Ms Inman Grant said. “This is about leading the world and holding these tech companies to account.

“They will have to lift their standards. It makes more sense for them to do it at a global level.

“This will probably end up becoming the de-facto standard,” she predicted, noting Australia was working closely with other nations such as the UK and Ireland, to ensure a “splinternet” did not emerge.

The new codes and industry standards operate under Australia’s Online Safety Act of 2021.

Originally published as eSafety Commissioner to force Google, Facebook, Apple to remove child sex abuse material, pro-terror content