Australia’s new cyber-cop Alastair MacGibbon will be able to fine social media companies and go after internet trolls

AUSTRALIA has a new cyber-cop, who will be empowered to slap big social media companies with fines of up to $17,000 a day and go after internet trolls.

Alastair MacGibbon, director of High-Tech Crime Centre in Canberra, 02 Jul 2003. (Pic: Michael Potter)

FORMER Australian Federal Police officer Alastair MacGibbon has become the nation’s new cyber-cop.

Parliamentary Secretary for Communications Paul Fletcher today announced that Mr MacGibbon would be appointed to the newly created role of the Children’s e-Safety Commissioner.

Mr MacGibbon will be empowered to slap big social media companies with fines of up to $17,000 a day if they fail to remove cyber-bullying material targeted at children.

He will also be able to issue internet trolls with formal notices to remove offensive material, and if they fail to do that, seek a court injunction or refer them to the AFP.

“The appointment of Alastair MacGibbon as the Children’s e-Safety Commissioner is a further milestone in the work of the Abbott Government to help keep Australian children safe online,” Mr Fletcher said this morning.

“I am delighted that we have been able to fill this critical role with someone who has deep expertise and more than 15 years of experience in the field of online safety and security,” he said.

Looking for cyber-bullies ... social media companies will be fined if material is not removed. Picture: Thinkstock

Mr MacGibbon worked for the AFP for 15 years, including as the founding Director of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre.

He has experience in the private sector, working as Senior Director of Trust, Safety and Customer Support at eBay, and has been a Director of the Centre for internet Safety at the University of Canberra since 2011.

In a statement released this morning, Mr MacGibbon said he looked forward to working with industry, child welfare organisations, law enforcement agencies and Australian children and parents to kids from the growing problem of cyber-bullying.

“Research has found that over a 12 month period, one in five Australian children aged eight to seventeen are exposed to cyber-bullying, and the overwhelming message from the Australian public is that we must do more to protect Australian kids online — it will be the mission of this office to do just that,” Mr MacGibbon said.

A “significant” number of public servants are now expected to be transferred from other agencies and departments to the newly established Office of the Commissioner to assist Mr MacGibbon.