Musk Says Aussie Ban on Social Media a Back Door to Control Internet Access to All Australians

Australian regulators have struck again.

Website blocking is one of a range of enforcement options to protect Australians against illegal online gambling. That's been the case since November 2019.

More than 1,086 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked, and counting.

The good news for gambling at least, reforms to advertising have been delayed beyond initial expectations with no timeline provided.

The industry, what's left of it, can breathe a sigh of relief.

“I acknowledge the ongoing toll this is taking on you and others, and I’m personally very sorry that we have not been able to secure an outcome thus far,” a staff member from Rowland’s office stated in an email seen by Guardian Australia.

“As a general observation though, I would note that decisions of this type require the support of the PM and Cabinet – ie, it’s not enough for a Minister to have formed a view.”

Mark Kempster, a member of the Alliance for Gambling Reform group, has campaigned for the reform.

He's pushing for the removal of all gambling ads from Australian television and a ban on the targeting of customers with promotional material.

Now They Are Coming After TikTok, X

Australia’s social media ban for under-16s is now law. There’s plenty we still don’t know – video

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— Guardian Australia (@australia.theguardian.com) November 28, 2024 at 7:24 PM

Australia's ban on social media for those 16 and under is now law.  It's still about a year before it takes effect.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the law supported parents concerned by online harms to their children.

“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them,” Albanese told reporters.

It's the first ban of its kind in the world.  North Korea hasn't even gone this route apparently.

As Guardian Australia's technology reporter Josh Taylor explains, there's a lot we don't yet know about how the social media ban for Australians under 16 will work in practice. That includes which platforms will be affected and how those platforms will determine users are the age they say they are. And since it won't come into force for a year – after the next federal election – that will be the problem of whoever is the next communication minister.

Key Points About the Australian Social Media Law

• Focus on young users: The ban specifically targets children under 16 years old.
• Platform responsibility: Social media companies will be required to implement age verification measures to prevent underage users from signing up.
• Potential penalties: Companies could face significant fines for not adequately preventing underage access.
• Not a complete ban: Adults will still be able to use social media platforms.

Well At Least It's Not Texas

In the Lone Star State of Texas, the accessing of porn is not even really possible if you're an adult.  PornHub, the leading purveyor of pornography, is banned here....well, maybe not banned per se. 

Pornhub chose to block all Texas residents in March when a legal challenge to a new state law requiring websites with adult content to verify users’ ages was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

So it's sort of the same thing.  Adults just can't really access legal porn due to the liability factors.

Here is where it gets sticky in Australia. 

When the website blocking first went into effect, a number of innocents got caught in the crossfire.  Among them, a Queensland dental practice. 

Australia’s legislature should be embarrassed about this u16 social media ban. Isn’t this what email is?

Another piece of law with good intentions but abysmal execution. A universal government speciality. pic.twitter.com/N3p6kXLEuf

— franko ali  (@ContinuityError) November 29, 2024

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on the debacle at the time.

"Any person or corporation that would be identifiable on the list would potentially be deemed by the general public ... either a child molester or at least in the same category as child molesters," said University of Sydney associate professor Bjorn Landfeldt.

"In effect, this could be interpreted by some as a government sanctioned hate list.

"Even if the list is not leaked directly, it may be possible to reverse engineer the list and find out its content."

Alongside child porn, bestiality, rape and extreme violence sites, the list also includes a slew of online poker sites, YouTube links, regular gay and straight porn sites, Wikipedia entries, euthanasia sites, websites of fringe religions such as satanic sites, fetish sites, Christian sites, the website of a tour operator and even a Queensland dentist.

17-year-old Leonardo Puglisi, chief anchor and founder of 6 News Australia, questioned how this ban would be enforced.

Puglisi says he would not be surprised to see companies like Facebook employ the nuclear option....potentially removing its platform, or parts of it, from Australia entirely.

That would mean adults, just like in Texas, are impacted by this new law as well.

I just spoke to 17-year-old Leonardo Puglisi (@Leo_Puglisi6), chief anchor and founder of 6 News Australia, to discuss the country's under-16 social media ban.

I'll have our full conversation posted at https://t.co/DxZesB1xQx this evening. pic.twitter.com/bsKBgY9iLm

— Jaden Jefferson (@Jaden_Reports) November 28, 2024

Elon Musk Weighs In

Elon Musk, who runs the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) claimed last week that Australia's now "in effect" social media ban would act as a back door to control internet access for ALL Australians with the Government threatening to fine platforms up to $50M.

Breaking: @elonmusk has just weighed in on Australia's proposed social media ban saying it's a back door to control internet access for ALL Australians with the Government threatening to fine platforms up to $50M.pic.twitter.com/a21yCFVVYl

— Stand up (@Standup_global) November 21, 2024