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Tech companies face fines and jail time if they fail to remove violent content under new Australia law

It comes in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack in New Zealand on 15 March.

AUSTRALIA HAS RUSHED in new laws which could see tech companies fined billions of dollars for not removing violent content from their sites in a timely fashion. 

It comes in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack in New Zealand on 15 March, which was live-streamed online and saw footage from the event go viral. 

According to the new legislation, tech companies are responsible to “ensure that online platforms cannot be exploited and weaponised by perpetrators of violence”. 

Companies who fail to “take timely action in relation to abhorrent violent material” will face fines of billions of dollars – up to 10% of their annual turnover – while company executives could face up to three years in prison. 

Following the Christchurch attack in New Zealand, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison took to Twitter to vent his frustration at violent content on social media. 

He said: “It’s completely unacceptable the initial footage of the Christchurch terrorist attack was up online for 69 minutes before it was taken down. That has to change.”

‘Knee-jerk’

Tech companies and organisations in Australia, however, have warned the “knee-jerk” move by the Australian government would have unintended consequences. 

The Digital Industry Group (DIGI), which represent Facebook, Twitter and Google, condemned the move as “concerning” and “inappropriate”. 

Ahead of the bill being passed by government, managing director of DIGI, Sunita Bose said tech companies “share the Government’s commitment to keeping Australians safe and have been working with governments, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies”.

“Announcing measures such as jailing staff at social media companies is inappropriate for a democracy such as Australia, and does not help the debate or solve the issue,” she said. 

President of the Law Council of Australia, Arthur Moses, said the legislation should “not demand of social media companies what they cannot reasonably be expected to do”.

“Laws formulated as a knee-jerk reaction to a tragic event do not necessarily equate to good legislation and can have myriad unintended consequences,” he said. 

“Whistleblowers may no longer be able to deploy social media to shine a light on atrocities committed around the world because social media companies will be required to remove certain content for fear of being charged with a crime.

“It could also lead to censorship of the media, which would be unacceptable,” he added.

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    Mute Fred Jensen
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    May 7th 2017, 8:10 PM

    Should have been put underground. Hopefully this will be the last large overground project in the city centre, and Metro North and other projects will all be put underground.

    234
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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:44 PM

    @Fred Jensen: Would rather have Dart underground from Westland row to Heuston, with a link up to the cross town Luas lines..

    53
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    Mute Brinster
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    May 7th 2017, 9:37 PM

    @Fred Jensen:

    Dawson St Luas is an utter, utter disgrace.

    Businesses there have had to put up with continuous disruption for FOUR years.

    The Empire State Building was built in 1 year and 45 days, over 80 years ago.

    It takes us 4 years to put down 300 metres of track on Dawson St. That an average of 20 centimetres of track per day.

    Disgrace.

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 10:10 PM

    @Brinster: Dublin is a medieval city with many underground basements, streams, crypts/historically sensitive buildings which have to be very carefully managed to ensure foundations are not affected, and have to be carefully worked around by archaeologists and not some polish lad in a JCB..

    It’s not like in say London or German/European cities which were pretty much destroyed completely or heavily damaged in the war, and allowed city planners to build underground or overground rail from a blank canvas.

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    Mute Ron Koeman
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    May 7th 2017, 10:13 PM

    @Brinster: absolute joke Dubai have the same system and put it round a whole city in half the time and there’s no accidents either

    34
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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 10:34 PM

    @Ron Koeman: Dubai = Massive blank canvas, all new buildings and roads in that city…They have 12 lane motorways through the city centre!
    Also Pre-Oil Dubai in the 1930′s and 40′s was full of shacks and small stone buildings.

    Not a fair comparison to Dublin, even though you may think so as they kinda sound the same, lol!

    54
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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    May 7th 2017, 11:48 PM

    @Fred Jensen: No doubt it will all be dug up again for a variety of reasons due to no joined up thinking……and in less than six years

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    Mute Krystian Brzezowski
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    May 8th 2017, 7:38 AM

    @Dub_Right: really? Some Polish lad in JCB? What that supposed to mean? Anyway those medieval crypts basements etc. where filled prior to the construction, construction of tracks itself is taking huge amount of time. What is the excuse for taking so long on O’Connell street? Same crypts?

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    Mute Brinster
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    May 8th 2017, 9:10 AM

    @Dub_Right:

    Four years! Four flippin years.

    And I wouldn’t mind if it was four years of continuous construction. I would n’t mind if it took four years for engineering/architectural reasons.

    But it didn’t.

    It has taken four whole years of continuous disruption because at no time (and I work round the corner) has there been more than 10 people working on site on any given day.

    Despite the fact that most of the street is dug up most of the time – most of the “works” are idle for literally months on end.

    15
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    Mute Grainne Abdulaziz
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    May 7th 2017, 8:10 PM

    I’ve bought two penis pumps from Moore Street establishments in the past year, both excellent quality. It’s a shame their businesses are being affected like this.

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    Mute The Viking
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    May 7th 2017, 8:22 PM

    @Grainne Abdulaziz: Jazus Grainne.. Surprised to hear you have a penis. Then again i dont think you could enlarge the size of your dick ..

    59
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    Mute Paddy Downey
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    May 7th 2017, 8:35 PM

    I remember businesses in Harcourt Street complaining about the devastating effects the Lúas works were having on them back a few years. Nobody in authority cared then and nobody in authority cares now.

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    Mute Jason Culligan
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    May 7th 2017, 8:41 PM

    @Paddy Downey: Why should they? Should all national infrastructure projects be cancelled if they inconvenience a few people?

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:48 PM

    @Paddy Downey: Copper Face Jacks was hit really bad by the lack of lads in the GAA jerseys… Oh wait…

    39
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    Mute Tony Stack
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    May 7th 2017, 8:41 PM

    And now they will make a fortune once it gets going , swings & roundabouts

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    Mute HoneySmuggler617
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    May 7th 2017, 8:16 PM

    A bit late now considering there finished in a few months. No sympathy anyways

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    Mute filthypete
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    May 7th 2017, 8:20 PM

    @HoneySmuggler617: poor attempt.

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    Mute Fergal Doyle
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    May 8th 2017, 12:34 AM

    @HoneySmuggler617: Clown

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:33 PM

    “Really affecting my Deli business”… Cue all the lads from the Luas works outside coming in to buy a Chicken fillet roll, can of coke, crisps, packet of fags… Yea.. terrible for the business! lol!

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    Mute Atlantean Irish
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    May 8th 2017, 12:51 AM

    But the works on Parnell street only got going in terms of them being an obstructive presence late last year. And vehicles can still travel down Parnell and Moore street, plus it is packed with people.

    Parnell and Moore street is packed mostly now with foreigners, both shoppers and shop owners, there is a muslim butchers in the back of a muslim grocery shop, not sure if still open.

    But the question arises, is the lack of custom to the Irish butcher due to the Luas or lack of customers due to different food habits of foreign customers or not eating non-halal meat or competition?

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    Mute Paul
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    May 8th 2017, 1:04 AM

    @Atlantean Irish: keep that quiet, another half arsed job from the Journal.

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    Mute Anne Honer
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    May 7th 2017, 9:53 PM

    Monday to Friday between Houston station and town it’s full of junkies attendi

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    Mute Sandra Clifford
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    May 7th 2017, 9:12 PM

    It will be just another junkie ridden luas

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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    May 7th 2017, 11:51 PM

    @Sandra Clifford: exactly eying up the windows on the houses they can visit in their own time and on our dime

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    Mute Anne Honer
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    May 7th 2017, 9:53 PM

    Court it’s scary

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    Mute Steve Tracey
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    May 8th 2017, 10:24 AM

    Not to do with effects onsses no it will because people cant cross roads or get on/off buxses conveniently/. Due to the fencing there is no way of getting on or off buses going north incl Airport from Fosters Place to just past the GPO. This also applies to taxis, very few gaps where the road can be crossed by pedestrians

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    Mute Marie Byrne
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    May 9th 2017, 12:33 AM

    To be honest I don’t come into town at all on principle because the parking charges are so high. I can pay for parking but choose not too. I can go to plenty of shopping centres with no parking or a minimum charge to get what I want I don’t want the stores to be hit but would seriously love the car parks who charge exorbitant rates to suffer they have well made their money – but not off me

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    Mute Said Babayev
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    May 8th 2017, 8:19 AM

    @Anne Honer: Is that the one in Texas?

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