Australia passes strict intermediary liability law
The Australian government passed the Criminal Code Amendment (sharing of abhorrent violent material) Bill which makes it illegal for social media platforms to fail to promptly remove abhorrent violent user material shared on their services. The legislation seems to be a response to the March mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand. The attack was carried out by a white supremacist who used a helmet-mounted camera to live stream on Facebook as he murdered 50 people in two mosques. The law defines abhorrent violent material as acts of terrorism, murder, attempted murder, torture, rape, and kidnapping. The crime will be punishable by three years in prison for individuals and up to 10% of a corporate body’s annual turnover. The legislation creates a liability regime that is stricter than the notice-and-takedown regimes in place in the USA and Europe.
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