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New codes submitted to the eSafety Commissioner last week are designed to protect children from several forms of harmful content, including pornography and violent material.
Australia’s peak industry bodies have submitted a raft of new industry-developed codes to the eSafety Commissioner aimed at restricting access to fetish porn and harmful and violent content online.
Eight codes were submitted to the eSafety Commissioner on 28 February as part of the next tranche of Online Safety Codes to be assessed under the Online Safety Act 2021. The final code is due to be submitted by 28 March.
Under the new codes, digital, communications, and video platforms could face fines of up to $50 million for failing to restrict content such as fetish pornography, suicide and self-harm instruction, eating disorder content, and violent or otherwise harmful media.
“The Online Safety Codes submitted to the eSafety Commissioner contain safeguards for Australian users across multiple layers of the digital ecosystem, including social media platforms, websites, apps, games, messaging services, equipment manufacturers, operating system providers and internet service providers,” Dr Jennifer Duxbury, director of policy and regulatory affairs for the Digital Industry Group Inc (DIGI), said in a 3 March statement.
“Online spaces and communication tools provide valuable opportunities for children to learn, connect, and explore the world.
“However, children should be protected from exposure to pornography and material that encourages harmful behaviours such as instruction for eating disorders, suicide and self-harm.
“That’s why the technology industry is working together to strengthen safety measures and ensure that children can navigate online spaces in a secure and supportive way.”
According to Duxbury, protecting children is a “key priority” for the entire industry, and the proposed safety codes have been designed to be scalable and practical while also including age assurance to restrict access to particular content.
“If accepted for registration by the commissioner, companies will have six months to implement the requirements of the codes before they become enforceable under the Online Safety Act 2021, with penalties for non-compliance of up to $50 million,” Duxbury said.
“These codes complement the phase 1 codes, which aim at minimising child sexual abuse and pro-terror material, and represent another important step forward in ensuring strong and enforceable measures are put in place to protect Australians, and especially children, from harmful content.”
The bodies behind the new codes include DIGI, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, the Communications Alliance, the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association, and the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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