Inquiry launched

Social media in Australia now a case for parliament

Australia announced a parliamentary inquiry into the negative impact of social media platforms on Friday. The Australian government had already criticized the platforms for not removing violent posts quickly enough and is calling for more control over content posted on Meta's Facebook, ByteDance's TikTok and the Elon Musk-run X.

"Whether it's domestic violence or the radicalization of our young people, in many areas the role of social media keeps cropping up," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said Parliament needed to understand how social media companies determine what criteria are used to select content that supports a healthy democracy, but also content that undermines public safety. "This inquiry will provide parliamentarians with the opportunity and resources to scrutinize these companies and make recommendations on how we can hold these platforms to account for their decisions," Rowland said.

The government is still finalizing the terms and scope of the inquiry, he added. The parliamentary inquiry committee will also examine Meta's decision to withdraw from paying for traditional news content in Australia. The Facebook parent company declined to comment on the inquiry.

The Australian government is already in a legal battle with Elon Musk's X over a regulatory order asking the platform to delete videos of the stabbing of an Assyrian community bishop in Sydney last month. X stated that it had blocked the posts for Australian users. However, the Australian Electronic Security Commissioner emphasized that the content should be removed for all users as it showed explicit violence. Musk then published memes in which he criticized Prime Minister Albanese and described the government's decision as censorship.