The Australian cybersecurity regulator turned to Twitter, the current owner of which is billionaire Elon Musk, with a request to provide an explanation of the concept of this digital platform to combat the spread of materials that promote hate speech in the virtual space.
Australian Commissioner for Cybersecurity Julie Inman Grant said that Twitter is currently an online platform, which is most often accused of posting content containing semantic elements, potentially capable of promoting intolerance and proclaiming the idea of the validity of a priori negative perception of other points of view on a particular issue.
The social network must, within four weeks, provide the regulator with an explanation of what algorithm this platform uses in order to curb the spread of hatred. If the company does not provide the necessary information, a measure of influence in the form of a fine, the amount of which is several hundred thousand dollars, may be applied against it.
Elon Musk became the owner of Twitter last year. The value of the transaction for the acquisition of a virtual platform amounted to $ 44 billion. Elon Musk said that he would ensure the implementation of the principles of freedom of speech on the platform.
Julie Inman Grant said that a third of all complaints she received about the spread of hate on the Internet were related to Twitter. Deserves special attention for the fact that the number of users of this platform is significantly smaller than the user base of TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. The Commissioner also stated that Twitter does not seem to be making any effort to combat hate.
Julie Inman Grant noted that the restoration of previously blocked accounts gave some courage and contributed to the activation of some propagators of ideas of hatred and radical intolerance. She noted that this applies, among other things, to neo-Nazis in Australia and other countries of the world.
From 2014 to 2016, Julie Inman Grant worked at Twitter as Director of Policy in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.
The regulator strives to ensure that the virtual platform becomes more controlled. Twitter has not yet provided any comments on the commissioner’s demands.
In 2021, the Internet Security Act was passed in Australia. This bill approved the requirement for social network providers to take measures to ensure security in the virtual space and limit the potential for abuse in digital reality.
In early June, Ella Irwin, the second head of Twitter’s trust and security department, resigned. Her predecessor, Yoel Roth, resigned last November. This happened a month after Elon Musk became the owner of the virtual platform. The responsibilities of the head of the Trust and Security Department include content moderation.
Ella Irwin did not give a reason for her resignation. At the same time, the day before this decision, Elon Musk criticized the intention to moderate the content. He stated that limiting the visibility of some videos is a mistake of many Twitter employees.
A week before Ella Irwin’s resignation, the social network withdrew from the voluntary code of the European Union on combating disinformation.
Linda Iaccarino, former head of advertising at NBCUniversal, took over as Twitter’s chief executive in June, replacing Elon Musk.
As we have reported earlier, Twitter Faces $250 Million Lawsuit by Major Music Publishers.
