Australia seeks big tech support for internet safety, AI regulation

PM Anthony Albanese asks Apple CEO Tim Cook to backmost Canberra’s online information laws to ‘keep Australians safe’.

The Australian authorities is seeking enactment from planetary tech giants arsenic it works to fortify the country’s online information laws and artificial quality (AI) regulations.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who met Apple CEO Tim Cook astatine the tech company’s office successful Cupertino, California, connected Saturday, said that “Australia can’t bash it alone” erstwhile it came to protecting children from the dangers of the internet.

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“We spoke astir what we’re doing to support children from online harm and the enactment ahead,” Albanese wrote connected societal media.

“We’re putting stronger rules successful spot to support Australians harmless online,” helium said. “And now, large tech companies similar Apple are stepping up too.”

Albanese, who is besides successful the United States for the United Nations General Assembly, utilized his travel to telephone for stronger AI regularisation aft dire information warnings from manufacture leaders.

Australia volition present caller standards for AI by the extremity of the year, helium said.

In a video posted to his X account, Albanese said his Labor authorities is “making definite exertion works for Australians”, and not the different mode around.

In a station connected X, Cook besides said helium shared with Albanese caller “strong and intuitive controls to assistance support kids harmless online”.

New Australian legislation unveiled this period would spot a “duty of care” request connected the firms down fashionable platforms, specified arsenic Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, and let users to crook disconnected their algorithms.

The draught laws volition beryllium introduced to parliament aboriginal this twelvemonth aft consultation with societal media companies, manufacture bodies and civilian nine groups.

The absorption Liberal-National Coalition opposes the measure “in its existent form”, according to a connection published connected September 10, saying that it “contains inadequate safeguards for escaped code and journalism, and leaves excessively overmuch powerfulness successful the hands of the Communications Minister”.

Australia implemented authorities barring children nether 16 from societal media platforms past twelvemonth arsenic portion of a world-first crackdown designed to support children from online bullying and “predatory algorithms”.

However, information past period recovered that Australians nether 16 continued utilizing societal media apps specified arsenic Instagram and TikTok contempt the ban.