Aus Gov to introduce new bill making social media platforms liable for defamation by ‘online trolls’
The Federal Government will be introducing a bill that it says will target anonymous “online trolls” and strengthen defamation laws, with the draft legislation expected to be released during the week.
Significantly for publishers, the proposed legislation will reverse the recent High Court of Australia decision that found that the social media pages of news outlets were publishers of comments made, meaning they may be liable for defamatory comments made on the respective social media platforms.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the press conference announcing the bill (credit: Scott Morrison’s Facebook page)
In a media statement, Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said: “Since the High Court’s decision in the Voller case, it is clear that ordinary Australians are at risk of being held legally responsible for defamatory material posted by anonymous online trolls.
