Australians will be able to switch off social media algorithms under planned legislation

Australians will be able to switch off social media algorithms under planned legislation. Image caption, Anika Wells says social media companies should offer option to switch off algorithmsBySimon AtkinsonAustralia producerPublished24 minutes agoAustralians would be able to switch off social media algorithms under draft legislation to be proposed this week.

What happened

This means that, as with its social media ban, the government is looking to bring in legislation before fully hammering out the specifics of how it would work. "We want to give Australians more choice over what they see on their social media feeds," Wells told the ABC on Monday. Having riffed on Halo and Pokémon in social media ads last year, inviting potential ICE recruits to “stop the flood” and “catch ’em all”, this time the administration has ripped off a series of recognisable games.

Communications Minister Anika Wells, who last year helmed the government's world-first social media ban for under-16s, said the digital duty of care laws would ensure "some basic safety protections on an industry that hasn't had to observe it". "But she admitted that so far no tech firm had been fined for not enforcing the social media ban, despite research consistently showing that the vast majority of under 16s who were on platforms before the ban was introduced last December, still use them.

Taylor told News24 he feared this was "an attempt by the government to censor social media" and that Labor should first try to plug holes in the social media ban. "Last week, high-profile consent advocate Chanel Contos gave a speech at Australia's National Press Club calling on the government to seek an opt-in for algorithmic social media feeds, making it harder for tech firms to find a way round any reforms.

The wider picture

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Members of the original Halo team were moved to speak out on social media after the White House posted a picture of Trump as Master Chief last year; I wonder if Sega will have anything to say about this trailer, which opens with a digital chorus singing “Magaaaa”, soundtracking the sorry collection with music that sounds a lot like Sonic’s Green Hill Zone. “Activists who shaped the Gamergate movement have become an established part of the political right … Until now, it seemed to be restricted to social media posting.

These games, in line with the Trump administration’s wider social media and communications strategy, are culture-war shitposting.

What has been reported

If tech firms such as Meta, Google and TikTok did not give the option to turn off algorithms, they should face "substantial" penalties, she said. The government will be taking "expert advice" on whether users would have to opt in or out of the algorithms feeding them content online, Wells said. "We know that a lot of Australians appreciate the algorithm both for the enjoyment they get out of it or the utility that they get out of it, seeing local businesses in their suburb.

"A lot of Australians will want to choose the algorithm. She argued algorithms were fuelling the prevalence of sexual violence in Australia and exposing young people to misogynistic "manosphere" material. The draft legislation is expected to be introduced in the coming days. As well as addressing algorithms, it is also expected to put an onus on platforms to stop harmful content, such as illegal pornography and videos promoting disordered eating, from being shared. A woman gives birth on the side of the road, unable to reach a hospital due to ambulance ramping and crater-like potholes, which also stop a fire truck in its tracks.

What happens next

“Victoria’s tsunami of debt steals resources from policing so organised illegal tobacco criminals are making billions, recruiting vulnerable kids and making our streets unsafe,” one 30-second Fix Victoria ad says. “There is a long history of third-party and fake grassroots campaign groups exploiting loopholes in electoral laws to try to influence elections. ”Rozner says Fix Victoria has “invested considerable resources to ensure strict compliance with all relevant laws, in particular the Victorian Electoral Act”.

I estimated that video game-coded posts had approximately twice the reach of a regular White House Instagram post, suggesting it was able to simultaneously rile up audiences offended by its post and delight supporters. Firms like Meta, Google and TikTok should face "substantial" penalties if they don't give the option, minister says. Some members of the opposition have criticised the proposal, with Liberal Party leader Angus Taylor saying he was "highly sceptical" and arguing the move could amount to censorship.

But we think that big tech should offer them the choice in the first place and they should respect that choice. "Big tech is not a protected species and they should offer their customers basic safety standards.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.