Tech titans put on notice

The worst of the internet – such as child sexual abuse material and pro-terror content – will have to be wiped out by tech titans including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter under new Australian rules set to become the global benchmark.

After nearly two years of negotiations, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she was satisfied with protections in codes developed by the industry covering social media, app stores, hosting services like GoDaddy, ISPs like Telstra and Optus, and equipment makers, for example, Nintendo and Sony game consoles.

But Ms Inman Grant rejected a proposed code for apps, websites and storage services like iCloud, along with another for dating sites and instant messaging, because she believed they lacked “appropriate community safeguards”.

For example, the “designated internet services’” code put forward by the sector didn’t require file and photo storage services to detect and flag child sexual abuse material.

“And the relevant electronic services code also doesn’t require email services and some partially encrypted messaging services to detect and flag this material either,” she said.

Ms Inman Grant will now set tough industry standards in those areas. She also reserved a decision on search engines, because of the emergence of artificial intelligence algorithms.

Google and Microsoft, which operates Bing, have been given one month to address her concerns.

Ms Inman Grant said the industry codes would be in force by mid-December and the industry standards should be operational in June next year.

If companies covered by the new rules fail to seek and destroy the digitally despicable, they will face fines of up to $687,000 per day under Australia’s Online Safety Act 2021.