Australia’s eSafety Commissioner is calling for increased regulation to address concerns about the spread of “terrorist and extremist” material on social media. This comes after Australia raised its terrorism alert level from possible to probable due to online radicalization and tension in the Middle East. Julie Inman Grant, head of the Australian eSafety office, expressed concerns about violent extremists using technology as a weapon. The misuse of live-streaming, algorithms, and recommender systems are among the areas of concern.
The eSafety office also highlighted recent riots in the UK as an example of how online material can incite real-life conflict and harm. They pointed out that terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand; Halle, Germany; and Buffalo, New York were instances where social media was exploited by violent extremists. Despite sending transparency notices to platforms like Google, Meta (formerly facebook), Twitter/X, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Reddit under Australia’s Online Safety Act to inquire about their efforts to protect Australians from extremist content and activity, it remains unclear what commitments these tech companies are fulfilling.
The lack of information provided by these companies has led the eSafety office to argue for regulation and mandatory notices. They believe that such measures are necessary for understanding the true scope of challenges posed by these platforms and holding them accountable for the content they amplify.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also addressed this issue during a press conference on August 6. He emphasized government efforts to help individuals disengage from violent extremism through measures like requiring platforms to prevent hosting extremist content. Albanese described raising the terrorism threat level as a sensible move based on evidence suggesting a more than 50 percent chance of terrorist acts or planned acts occurring in the coming year.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton encouraged reporting unusual behavior related to conspiracy theories or radical changes in thoughts about society or government to ASIO or the Federal Police.
In addition to her call for increased regulation regarding extremist content online, eSafety Commissioner Inman Grant gained global attention when she issued a takedown order against Elon Musk’s X Corporation but later withdrew it after legal action was taken against her by X Corporation. However, some have raised concerns about her powers being unchecked when it comes to shutting down online debate based on subjective assessments.