Australia has threatened Twitter with heavy fines for failing to effectively tackle hate speech

Twitter may have to pay a heavy fine in Australia for spreading hate on its social network. Australia’s cyber watchdog has asked Twitter to explain its actions to combat hate speech on its platform.

The eSafety Commission has said it has received more complaints about online hate speech on Twitter in the past 12 months than any other social network. The organization also said it has received increasing reports of online abuse on Twitter since Elon Musk bought Twitter.

The organization has asked Twitter to respond to the questions raised within the next 28 days or face a fine of $475,000 per day. The eSafety Commission has said that Twitter’s policies prohibit hate speech on the platform, but the rise in complaints shows that Twitter has failed to enforce its own policies.

According to eSafety, these complaints were mainly made after Elon Musk decided in November 2022 to restore hundreds of blocked user accounts. The organization said it was concerned about the rise of online hate speech on Twitter, with research showing that 1 in 5 Australians had experienced online hate speech.

Twitter has not yet reacted to this eSafety statement, and we have to see what the company’s actions will be to deal with hate speech on its own social network.

Source: DT