Federal Government to protect adults from cyberbullying

• The Federal Government has taken steps to protect adults from cyber abuse under a proposed new set of laws
• The legislation will give the eSafety Commissioner the power to order individuals or businesses to take certain posts off online platforms
• Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the laws will only apply to “seriously harmful” content, though it’s uncertain what constitutes this
• The eSafety Commissioner will also have the power to compel social media sites to hand over personal information of anonymous accounts if these accounts are being uses for cyber abuse or sharing illegal content
• The government will also be able to rapidly block certain cites in the event of a crisis, such as the Christchurch terror attacks from 2019
• The legislation is now open for public consultation

The Federal Government has taken steps to protect adults from cyber abuse under a proposed new set of laws.

The legislation, which is now open for public consultation, will give eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant the power the order individuals and businesses to take certain posts down from online platforms — with major penalties for those who don’t listen.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the “world-first” adult cyber abuse scheme will also strengthen protections for children by enabling the removal of material from online services where kids are spending more and more time.

However, a higher standard will apply to adults, with only “seriously harmful” content to be removed under the new provisions. While Minister Fletcher said this is the same standard as in the Criminal Code, he did not specify what constitutes seriously harmful content and what does not.

Still, he said the new bill appropriately balances the importance of freedom of speech.

“The internet has brought great social, educational and economic benefits. But just as a small proportion of human interactions go wrong offline, so too are there risks online,” Minister Fletcher said.

“By establishing proper protections to help keep Australians safe online, we can in turn help Australian to realise the substantial benefits that come from using the internet.”

Those who refused to comply to the laws face fines of up to $550,000 for companies and $111,000 for individuals.

The legislation also gives the eSafety Commissioner the power to unmask anonymous internet trolls with strengthened information gathering powers.

Essentially, the eSafety Commissioner can compel social media sites to hand over personal information from anonymous social media accounts if the accounts are being used to conduct online abuse or exchange illegal content.

Further, the legislation gives the government the power to rapidly block certain websites in response to online crisis events.

The Communications Minister specifically cited the Christchurch terrorist attacks from 2019 as examples of when this government power could be used. The terror attacks were livestreamed and spread across multiple sites faster than they could be taken down.

As such, the bill is designed to ensure that any other types of horrific attacks cannot be streamed and spread around the internet in the same manner.

Still, with the implications that come with limiting speech, Minister Fletcher said it’s important to get the legislation right.

“These are substantial reforms, so it is important to consult on the detail before the legislation is introduced into parliament.”