Government proposes tougher laws on social media giants to remove violent posts

Social media giants could be fined 10 per cent of their billions in global revenue and their executives jailed for up to three years if they fail to quickly take down abhorrent violent material.

Social media giants could be fined 10 per cent of their billions in global revenue and their executives jailed for up to three years if they fail to quickly take down abhorrent violent material.

Under Morrison Government legislation to be moved in parliament next week in the wake of the Christchurch massacre, social media companies anywhere in the world will be placed under a legal obligation to tell the Australian Federal Police the moment they learn their service is streaming abhorrent violent crimes happening in Australia.

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The government has made the decision after ministers came away from a meeting this week between social media companies and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Attorney-General Christian Porter, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, Communications Minister Mitch Fifield, and security agencies, convinced the companies were not going to act.

The new law will cover terrorism, murder, attempted murder, torture, rape and kidnapping.

Calculating the fines based on the companies’ global turnover could in theory result in them paying the largest corporate civil penalties in history.

Members of the public attend a national remembrance service in Christchurch after 50 lives were lost in an attack on two mosques. Picture: AFP

Prime Minister Scott Morrison proposes tougher laws on social media companies in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack. Picture: AAP

Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube had turnover last year of $192.8 billion, meaning if the company were to be found guilty under the act it could be fined up to $19.2 billion, while a 10 per cent fine of Facebook’s global revenue could see it fined almost $8 billion.

Mr Morrison said action was needed to keep Australians safe in the wake of the Christchurch attacks and the government was getting on with the job.

“Big social media companies have a responsibility to take every possible action to ensure their technology products are not exploited by murderous terrorists,” he said.

“It should not just be a matter of just doing the right thing. It should be the law.”

The government plans to give a copy of the draft Bill to the Opposition before parliament resumes on Tuesday.

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Originally published as Government proposes tougher laws on social media giants to remove violent posts