‘Dangerous falsehoods’: Social media giants face big fines in revamped laws

A storm of damaging online lies during Sydney’s stabbing attacks has fuelled the case for legislating multimillion-dollar fines for social media giants hosting misinformation, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says, pledging to take on X and Meta to prevent “devastating” social harm.

Joining a groundswell of political pressure on tech firms, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told this masthead that the foreign-owned networks were on notice to remove “evil” material, as the Coalition accused Labor of failing to pursue laws targeting agents of foreign enemies stirring local tensions online.

Michelle Rowland wants to force social media firms to deal with misinformation on their platforms.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Rowland pledged a revamped bill allowing fines for platforms hosting misinformation and disinformation would be tabled later this year, laying down the gauntlet to platforms she said caused real-world harm when “dangerous falsehoods spread at scale and speed”.

“Doing nothing is not an option for any responsible government,” she told this masthead.

“The events of the last few days highlight the importance of digital platforms having systems and processes in place to address seriously harmful misinformation and disinformation on their services. Where they fail, the outcomes can be devastating.”

Since the Bondi and western Sydney church stabbings, attention of politicians and analysts has turned to the role of social media and Australian influencers including the anti-Western, Russia-aligned X users Simeon Boikov, known as the “Aussie Cossack”, and Maram Susli, who uses the name Syrian Girl online.

Simeon Boikov waves from the Russian consulate in Sydney, where he has been evading Australian authorities.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Both falsely suggested to large followings that the Bondi attacker was a local Jewish man, while Boikov cited rumours, since proved false, suggesting a mob cut fingers off the 16-year-old who allegedly stabbed preachers. Injuries to the boy’s hand were actually sustained in the act of stabbing, NSW Premier Chris Minns was forced to clarify.

ESafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant this week used her legal powers to demand X, formerly known as Twitter, and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, take down distressing footage of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel being attacked during a live-streamed service. A spokeswoman for the commissioner said late on Wednesday she was satisfied with Meta’s attempts to comply but was still assessing X’s response.

Meta said in a statement on Tuesday: “Our priority is to protect people using our services from seeing this horrific content … We have taken steps to prevent possible copies of the incident being re-shared and are in contact with law enforcement and the eSafety Commissioner’s office to provide any necessary assistance.”

Authorities believe the bishop’s assailant was motivated by religious extremism and have deemed the stabbing a potential terrorist attack, prompting Dutton to put a spotlight on intelligence agencies’ warnings on online radicalisation.

“While all of this is under investigation … and we should allow the law enforcement response to take place, it’s a reminder that when impressionable young minds are bombarded with extremist ideology online, then there can be terrible outcomes,” he said.

“The digital tech giants must do more to prevent this evil material from being in the public domain – and when they don’t, we should be pursuing them with all the powers available to us. The tech giants are on notice here.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday he was deeply concerned about social media debates, adding he had discussed with Rowland the federal agencies’ attempts to remove the church stabbing video.

Rowland’s misinformation laws are being reworked after they were put on ice last year. The Coalition raised worries about censorship, but the government insisted regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, would not have an all-powerful role in judging the merits of individual posts.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw and head of ASIO Mike Burgess on Tuesday.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

The government’s decision to pursue a remodelled bill before the election risks a new backlash over free speech.

Social media firms were also the subject of a parliamentary inquiry which, in August, recommended forcing social media firms to open up their systems to analysis on foreign interference, creating a government entity to deal with cyber-based foreign interference and demanding platforms hire Australia-based staff, which X does not.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson criticised Labor for not following these recommendations targeting malicious foreign actors and their proxies, who he said weaponised traumatic events, pointing to the false claims about the stabbings.

“Weakening our social cohesion and undermining our national unity is key objective of foreign authoritarian governments,” he said.

“We shouldn’t wait for more tragedies before taking steps to protect our democracy and social cohesion against those who wish to undermine them and harm us.”

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