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Australia Passes Law to Punish Social Media Companies for Violent Posts

Recent legislation from Australia puts them at the forefront of a global movement to hold companies like Facebook and YouTube accountable for the content they host.

"One problem, according to experts, is that banned posts, photos and videos continue to linger online because the platforms, using both human moderators and technology, have been unable to identify and remove every iteration of illegal content.

"BKC Faculty Associate Susan Benesch, founder of the Dangerous Speech Project at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, said that Australia’s attempt to keep 'abhorrent violent material' off the internet could face similar problems, leading to more dramatic responses from the platforms.

"'It would likely encourage increased censorship and takedowns by companies,' she said. 'The platforms would likely move their offices out of countries that pass such laws, to protect them from prosecution.'”

Read more at The New York Times...

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