Australian Online ‘Safety’ Proposal Could Ban All Adult Content

LOS ANGELES—A proposed new online “safety” law in Australia could allow the government there to strip all adult content and sexually-oriented material from the internet Down Under, according to a report by The Guardian newspaper. The Online Safety Bill 2021 was introduced in the Australian House of Representatives last month, and though its backers say the law is aimed at stopping online bullying and abuse, as well as illegal child pornography, the language of the bill goes far beyond those aims. The wording of the bill would allow the government’s eSafety Commissioner to block any online content that would receive a rating from the Australian Classification Board of “R18+” or higher. The Australian ratings apply to movies, TV, video games and a wide range of content. The R18+ rating is broadly defined to cover “content that is considered high in impact for viewers. This includes content that may be offensive to sections of the adult community.”  According to the Guardian report, that definition would include images of consensual sexual acts between adults, and even nude selfies. Websites, social media platforms, and even search engine links could be vulnerable to blocking or removal under the proposed law. The law would “effectively censor adult online content that could potentially have unintended consequences for the sex industry and porn industries and have a devastating impact on the ability of sex workers to earn a legitimate income,” Roger Sorrenti, spokesperson for the activist group Sex Work Law Reform Victoria, told The Guardian.  Gala Vanting, of Scarlet Alliance, the Australian Sex Workers Association, also warned that the bill — similar to the United States FOSTA/SESTA law that passed in 2018 — would have the effect of deplatforming sex workers from Australia’s cyberspace. “It’s something that removes our access to the basic benefits of digital citizenship; our right just to exist as individuals online. But it also prevents us from doing things like carrying out our business or working safely,” she said. “What this bill has the potential to do is to allow the office of an unelected bureaucrat to decide what Australian adults see online.”   Current Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has said that if the law passes, she will target only “abusive” material for removal, and has no plans to chase down adult content. But according to an analysis by the Independent Australia website, many online sites may simply not want to take that chance, and will take it upon themselves to ban adult material from their platforms — an outcome that already occurred in the U.S. after passage of FOSTA/SESTA. Under the law, sites that fail to comply with removal demands within 24 hours could face fines up to $550,000, or about $420,000 in U.S. currency. Individuals found to be in violation would be hit with fines up to $110,000, or $84,000 U.S. Photo By Michael Coghlan / Wikimedia Commons