Australia targets tech firms with ‘abhorrent material’ laws bbc.com

Australia has passed controversial laws which could see tech companies face penalties – including jail for executives – if they host violent videos on their platforms. The laws, billed as a probable world first, follow the New Zealand shootings which killed 50 people last month. The violence was live-streamed online. Websites “should not be weaponised”, the Australian government says. Critics say the laws have been rushed through parliament without scrutiny. The bill says tech firms could face penalties if they fail to remove “abhorrent violent material” quickly enough. Such content is defined to be terror attacks, murders, rapes, tortures and kidnappings.