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Elon Musk has branded the Australian government “fascists” over proposals to fine online platforms if they do not assist in preventing the spread of disinformation.
Australia introduced the legislation on Thursday, following widespread criticism of the initial effort to deliver the bill last year. The plan was to give more powers to the Australian Communications and Media Authority but concerns were raised by groups including media outlets and civil liberties campaigners that the regulator would hold too much autonomy and control.
The crackdown on disinformation is part of a wider drive to mitigate the influence of non-domiciled media platforms in Australia, while there is a specific focus on language that poses a risk to elections and public health.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland declared, “Doing nothing and allowing this problem to fester is not an option.”
Her government set out its intention to hit platforms with a fine of up to 5% of their annual global revenue if they do not adequately address content that is “reasonably verifiable as false, misleading or deceptive and reasonably likely to cause or contribute to serious harm”.
In response, Musk posted to his X account with a typically terse message.
Fascists https://t.co/NQcR9justJ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2024
“This is Crackpot Stuff”
The sentiment of the billionaire entrepreneur was echoed by Australia’s shadow Home Affairs minister James Patterson who warned against “censorship”. He said Australians have a right to hear opposing arguments and to make up their own minds.
Musk’s position was ridiculed by government minister Bill Shorten who accused the outspoken South African-born, 53-year-old of being inconsistent on free speech.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten rejected Musk’s comments, accusing the Tesla CEO of being inconsistent. He claimed Musk is a champion of free speech when the issue is in his commercial interests and when it is not, “he’s going to shut it all down”
Australia’s Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones adopted a more serious tone in his critique of Musk’s free speech campaign and the overall issue, stressing it is a matter of national sovereignty.
“This is crackpot stuff. It really is crackpot stuff,” said Jones to ABC.
He went on to refer to types of graphic content enabled online such as deepfake material, child pornography, and livestreaming murder scenes, which the government wants to combat.
This was followed by a pointed question toward Musk, “I mean, is this what he thinks free speech is all about?”
