Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has decided not to register two of the eight proposed internet safety standards, as they do not sufficiently protect against online harms. These regulations relate to dating sites, online games, and instant messaging.
Julie Inman Grant, the country’s eSafety Commissioner, explained that the proposals, which were drafted by the online industry, don’t go far enough in protecting Australian users, especially children.
“Once a code or standard is in place, eSafety will be able to receive complaints and investigate potential breaches. An industry code or standard will be backed up by powers to ensure compliance including injunctions, enforceable undertakings, and maximum financial penalties of nearly $700,00 per day for continuing breaches”, the eSafety agency explained.
“We’re talking about the worst-of-the-worst online content here, often illegal content, including child sexual abuse material and pro-terror content,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“eSafety and indeed the wider community, expect that these companies should take reasonable steps to prevent their services from being used to store and distribute this horrendous content”, she continued.
She highlighted that the Relevant Electronic Services standard doesn’t do enough to detect and flag illegal and offensive materials, “even though we know there are proactive steps they can take to stem the already rampant sharing of illegal content.”
The RES code applies to a diverse group of online services, including online dating, gaming platforms, and end-to-end encrypted messaging.
The Commissioner’s office assessed the RES proposal and found that there is a significant amount of evidence these platforms are used to share child sexual exploitation material and pro-terror material.
Now that the proposed RES code will not be registered, the eSafety team will now work on drafting industry standards, in consultation with relevant platforms.
Click here to read the full media release from the eSafety agency.
