On 19 September 2024, the Australian Government referred the Misinformation and Disinformation Bill 2024 to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee to continue with the proceedings to restrict the spread of misinformation online. This legislation threatens to fine social media platforms up to 5% of their global revenue if they fail to prevent misinformation on their platforms. It will additionally force these platforms to work under the government-assigned regulatory body, which will help design a code of conduct that must be followed. This draft, or “misinformation bill,” divides Australia into two parts: one side is concerned about the dangers of misinformation on social media, while the other is worried about the government’s growing control over social media freedom.
The government justifies its new bill, Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024, in the name of maintaining political integrity, public safety, and peace in the country. Simultaneously, free speech advocates are denouncing this decision by the government, declaring it a threat to the freedom of speech. Citing the Australian Media Literary Alliance, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland claims that four-fifths of Australian citizens are concerned about the spread of misinformation and want this issue addressed. Initially, in 2023 a similar bill was criticized for giving communications agencies unregulated power to decide what constituted misinformation and disinformation. However, the newer version of the bill does not give communication agencies the same power to control the content online, rather that power goes directly to the government. Despite the government’s assurance that this bill will only safeguard professional news and artistic and religious content, many still see it as a threat to their freedom online.
The growing censorship worldwide has left people anxious about their freedom of speech and knowledge. Social media restrictions are becoming a major global trend due to the undeniable power of social media, as seen in the 21st century. These platforms provide undisputable leverage to whoever controls them, so it is not surprising that according to a report by the Oxford Internet Institute, around 62 governments are actively using social media to spread propaganda online. This helps them form public opinion according to their interests, which undermines confidence in democracy. In addition to spreading their propaganda, it further allows the authorities to keep strict surveillance on their civilians.
A report published by 2022 Freedom House reveals the significant decline in global internet freedom as 70% of the world population lives under social media surveillance by their respective governments.
The United States, despite being the biggest supporter of freedom of speech has started to reconsider its stance on complete media freedom. To the extent that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of the US, which protects social media companies from being held accountable for the content that their users post, is widely criticized. Nevertheless, even the US has changed its standing point as it continuously attempts to ban the social media app TikTok. Furthermore, there seems to be a rise in US surveillance, according to a Pew Research study around 56% of American citizens feel that they are being tracked online by their government and 84% of them believe that they have little to no control over the data that the government gathers online. Concerns regarding the right to privacy and misuse of personal data have been rising due to the unchecked control of the authorities.
While other great powers like China and Russia have always been under criticism due to their restrictive social media policies. This is one of the many examples of governments all around the world becoming more and more concerned about the power social media platforms hold.
Australians are no exception to similar concerns when it comes to their privacy and freedom online. Freedom House’s “Freedom on the Net 2022” report showed that Australia scored 75 out of 100, highlighting the decline in online freedom due to increasing government surveillance and content regulation measures. There are growing concerns over laws that force tech giants to give access to users’ private data and the increasing censorship of content on the internet. Around 61% of the Australian population is worried about their civil liberties and privacy and does not approve of the rise in government power over social media according to a study held by the University of Queensland in 2021.
Undeniably these worries about growing censorship are not baseless, considering that many governments that are known for their oppressive nature always rely on restricting the freedom of communication and knowledge through online means to maintain power, like Iran, North Korea, Israel, China, and the latest example of Bangladesh under Prime Minister Hasina. Being such a common tool that ensures control, it’s not surprising that similar restrictions leave common people cautious. When the global north—being the self-proclaimed victors of democracy and human rights—adopts similar restrictive policies, it raises not only concerns but also questions about the direction of democracy and human rights.
On the contrary, leaving social media without any form of regulations or restrictions leads to threats that should not be overlooked. According to a UNESCO report, around 45% of the global population is exposed to fake news weekly. Which in turn becomes a major threat to democratic processes worldwide.
An excellent example of misinformation or disinformation having negative impacts globally is when during the COVID-19 pandemic JAMA published a study highlighting how false health information negatively impacted public health safety. In response to the survey, around 72% expressed unease regarding the dangerous impact of health misinformation they confronted on social media.
The Australian Government’s new policy reflects the latest statistics that underline the growing threat of social media on the well-being and security of the country. According to the research of e-Safety, an independent regulator for online security in Australia that informs the locals about harmful, misleading, or deceptive content online, in only the first six months of 2020, around 44% of teens experienced negative experiences online, and more than 80% of them took some form of action after that experience. This tainted information does not stop affecting the highly impressionable minds of youth but goes as far as becoming a threat to national security itself. According to a survey by Flinders University, around 46% of Australians witness extremist content online, which can further lead to an increase in violence like the 2022 Queensland police shooting by far-right extremists highly influenced by disinformation.
Moreover, social media also provides grounds for international intervention in the form of foreign influence campaigns that can manipulate public opinion. A perfect example of it is what the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) calls Operation Shadow Play. This operation is meant to shift the opinion of English-speaking countries to a pro-Chinese and anti-American stance in international politics, global economy, and technology competition. To achieve this goal, the campaign uses videos consisting of AI voice-overs to promote pro-Huawei and anti-Apple narratives. It has further achieved a massive global audience spread across 30 YouTube channels, containing 4,500 videos getting over 120 million views and 730,000 subscribers. Campaigns similar to this do not only exploit social media platforms to manipulate public opinion but also threaten democracy and stability globally.
This growing international trend of restrictive policies, despite being predicted in the global south, challenges the established perception of the West. Similar to other Western powers, Australia is working to defend its people and its politics from the spread of misinformation. This raises moral considerations about the level of power governments should have over social media platforms and to what extent social media users should have the freedom to say whatever they see fit.
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Ahwar Azhar is a student of Social Sciences majoring in International Relations, currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Bahria University, Islamabad. She is an aspiring IR scholar aiming to work in the areas of international stability, humanitarian relief, and international law. Her research interests include emerging technologies and national security.