Australia Censorship News

The Australian internet industry has produced draft censorship rules related to age/ID verification. The schedule is for these to come into force in 2025.

One of the rules that has caught the attention is that search engines will be required to age/ID verify users before links to porn or gambling sites sites can be provided.

The draft codes will apply to websites, social media, video games, search engines, gaming companies, app developers and internet service providers, among others.

As is the case in most other countries, the authorities are refusing to specify exactly what age/ID verification mechanisms will be acceptable and will leave it to companies to take enormous commercial risks in guessing what mechanisms will be acceptable. Examples of options include checking photo ID, facial age estimation, credit card checks, digital ID wallets or systems, or attestation by a parent or guardian.

The codes have been developed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (Amta), the Communications Alliance, the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association (CESA), the Digital Industry Group Inc. (Digi), and the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA).

Dr Jennifer Duxbury, Digi's director for policy, regulatory affairs, and research, told Guardian Australia that the group doesn't speak for the porn industry, and added:

I can't predict what their reaction might be, whether they would withdraw from the market, or what's the likely outcome.

The Australian Censorship Board (ACB) has announced new censorship rules about gambling content in video games. The ACB writes:

Over the last decade, video games have increased and so has gambling-like content in these games. This includes:

• In-game purchases with an element of chance, such as paid loot boxes. These are mystery items players can use real money to buy, without knowing what item they will get.

• Simulated gambling including casino-style video games.

Research has found that gambling-like content in video games is linked to problem gambling in real-life, as well as psychological and emotional harm. To address these findings the Australian Government has introduced new classifications for video games containing gambling-like content.

From 22 September 2024, the Australian Government has introduced new classifications to video games that contain gambling like content. These changes are in response to growing community concern for children and research findings that links gambling-like content in video games to problem gambling in real-life, as well as psychological and emotional harm.

The new classifications that will be displayed for video games with gambling-like content are:

• M (Mature, not recommended for children under 15) for computer games containing in-games purchases linked to elements of chance, including paid loot boxes (these are mystery items players can use real money to buy, without knowing what item they will get)

• R 18+ (Restricted to adults 18 years and over) for computer games containing simulated gambling.

The changes will apply to games on computers, gaming consoles, phones and tablets.

The consumer advice for new video games that contain gambling-like content will say:

• Chance-based in-game purchases for video games containing in-game purchases linked to elements of chance, like loot-boxes.

• High-impact simulated gambling for video games containing simulated gambling.

• Gambling themes for video games containing content which may resemble gambling, but does not meet the threshold for simulated gambling.

The new classifications will be applied to new video games. The new classifications will not be applied to existing games, unless they are updated with new content and need to be reclassified.

Australian children could soon be banned from accessing social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, with the federal  government set to bring in new censorship legislation before the end of the year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that his government would introduce legislation to enforce a minimum age for access to social media. He said:

We are taking this action because enough is enough. Parents are worried sick about this. The safety and mental and physical health of our young people is paramount. Legislation will be introduced before the end of the year after a trial of age verification.

Albanese said he wanted to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields, swimming pools and tennis courts.

South Australia has already proposed banning children under 13 and a parental consent required for children between the ages of 14 and 15.

The federal government has not specified a minimum age for its national framework. The Prime Minister said there would be an age verification trial over the next couple of months.

Another layer of secrecy is being stripped from Australian internet users. At a time when users are being forced to and over personal ID data in the name of age verification, it seems that governments will be quick in demanding that internet companies have to hand over such data to them.

It was announced that internet companies will now be forced to reveal the ages of active users supposedly so that the Australian Government can get a grip on the impact these platforms are having on Australian kids.

Last week the Albanese Government announced sweeping reforms intended to boost transparency and accountability for digital platforms used by Australians including popular social media, messaging and gaming services. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the government had amended the Basic Online Safety Expectations to better address new and emerging online safety issues and help hold the tech industry accountable.

The new Determination will also require companies to provide, on request of the eSafety Commissioner, a report on the number of active end-users of services in Australia, broken down according to the number of users who are children or adults.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said that without information on users' ages, the Government was flying blind. Inman Grant said these strengthened powers meant her office would now be able to find out precisely how many children are on specific services. She said:

This needs to be a starting point of understanding how many under-aged users are on these platforms today, otherwise governments are flying blind. If we're serious about effectively managing the ages and stages at which a child can partake in social media, we need to move forward with all technology companies deploying effective age-assurance systems.