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Australia is serious about defamation on the net
Australia has been a pioneer in regulating social media platforms since the introduction of a new media law. In order to be able to take better action against cases of hate speech or defamation, the operators should now have to reveal the identity of the commentators. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Sunday the country would enact law that would force platforms like Twitter and Facebook to release this data. Australia’s highest court had previously ruled that operators can be held liable for public comments in online forums. This ruling led some news outlets, such as CNN, to deny Australians access to their Facebook pages. The new legislation also introduces a grievance mechanism that allows users to ask a platform to remove defamatory material. If the content is not withdrawn, a social media platform can be forced through legal proceedings to reveal the identity of the commentator.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a law that would force platforms like Twitter and Facebook to reveal identities.