Scott Morrison leads global crackdown on Facebook and Twitter at the G7 summit
Tech giants such as Facebook and Twitter will be pushed to remove terrorist and violent content ASAP under a new deal secured by PM Scott Morrison.
National
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Social media platforms will reveal how many times violent material was uploaded to their sites and how long it stayed online, under a new deal with New Zealand and the OECD.
The announcement comes as Scott Morrison met with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 forum overnight as the US President ramped up trade tensions with Australia’s biggest trading partner, China.
In a win for Australia, the Morrison Government has secured funding from global partners for the voluntary social media reporting system which will push tech giants such as Facebook and Twitter to detect and remove terrorist and violet content as early as possible.
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The online-safety measure was recommended by a taskforce of tech giants and industry experts which reported in June. But the Morrison Government has secured a deal with the OECD and New Zealand to expand the project and gather more evidence to help tackle the problem.
Mr Morrison was expected to discuss the latest internet crackdown overnight when he met with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría at the G7 in the French coastal resort town of Biarritz.
Australia has been invited to the leaders’ meeting as an observer, not as one of the seven industrialised economies that make up the G7.
But Australia’s second-tier role in the summit didn’t stop Mr Morrison securing face-to-face talks with powerful leaders including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump.
The small town in southwest France is situated in the foothills of the Pyrenees and is known for its red peppers and espadrille shoes.
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In a sign of their friendship, Mr Abe called Mr Morrison by his nickname “ScoMo”. The two leaders discussed issues in the Pacific, the South China Sea and the Middle East.
“Every time that me have meetings, I do enjoy the very productive content of it,” Mr Abe said
Disunity is threatening to dominate the G7 with the seven once-close allies - France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States - expected to clash over climate action, Iran, Brexit and trade during the three-day forum.
With the global economy slowing and escalating trade tensions, European Council president Donald Tusk has warned that the ongoing disputes could result in a global recession. He said it was unclear whether the leaders would find common ground or “focus on senseless disputes amongst each other”.
Adding fuel to trade tensions, US President Donald Trump bumped up his tariffs on Chinese imports before jetting to France, in retaliation for Beijing raising taxes on US products. Mr Trump also threatened his French hosts with taxes on their wines.
While Mr Trump talks tough on trade, Scott Morrison has vowed to use his rare G7 invitation to lobby for a Free Trade deal with the United Kingdom ahead of the looming Brexit deadline.
Mr Morrison will meet newly-appointed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday for bilateral talks. Mr Johnson has also backed calls for a trans-Tasman-style free-movement arrangement between Britain and Australia after the October 31 Brexit deadline.
Mr Morrison is expected to side with British Prime Minister Boris Johnston who said he would urge the US to ease tensions with China.
On Monday, Mr Morrison will also take part in two sessions on how leading economies can ensure social media and other online platforms are “open, free and secure” and another on oceans.
Overnight, Australia’s First Lady Jenny Morrison joined the glamorous wives of G7 leaders on a trip to the French village of Espelette.
The powerful spouses sampled chilli-flavoured Sangria during the morning which Mrs Morrison describes as “very good”.
Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, led the delegation which also including Melania Trump, Malgorzata Tusk, the wife of European Council President and the Japanese Prime Minister’s wife Akie Abe.
Dressed in a pink top and white pants, Ms Morrison greeted Ms Macron with a kiss before touring the town alongside Melania Trump.
The G7 summit brings together the leaders of advanced, industrialized democracies which includes France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
Russia was dumped from the G8 in 2014 after its invasion of the Ukrainian region of Crimea, but Mr Trump is lobbying for Russia’s return.
Australia is one of four nations invited to observe the summit, take part in policy-meetings and hold sideline talks.
After a bitter dispute at last year’s summit, French President Emmanuel Macron has abandoned the tradition of releasing a joint communiqué in an attempt to smooth over differences between feuding leaders.
On Monday, Mr Morrison will also take part in two sessions on how leading economies can ensure social media and other online platforms are “open, free and secure” and another on oceans.
Originally published as Scott Morrison leads global crackdown on Facebook and Twitter at the G7 summit
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