Australian safety watchdog fines social platform X $385,000 for not tackling child abuse content
Australian safety watchdog fines social platform X $385,000 for not tackling child abuse content ABC News
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Australia Fines X for Failure to Address Child Sexual Exploitation Content
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s online safety watchdog said on Monday it had fined X — the social media platform formerly known as Twitter — 610,500 Australian dollars ($385,000) for failing to fully explain how it tackled child sexual exploitation content.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels
Australia’s eSafety Commission describes itself as the world’s first government agency dedicated to keeping people safe online.
The commission issued legal transparency notices early this year to X and other platforms questioning what they were doing to tackle a proliferation of child sexual exploitation, sexual extortion, and the livestreaming of child sexual abuse.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said X and Google had not complied with the notices because both companies had failed to adequately respond to a number of questions.
The platform renamed X by its new owner Elon Musk was the worst offender, providing no answers to some questions including how many staff remained on the trust and safety team that worked on preventing harmful and illegal content since Musk took over, Inman Grant said.
“I think there’s a degree of defiance there,” Inman Grant said.
“If you’ve got a basic H.R. (human resources) system or payroll, you’ll know how many people are on each team,” she added.
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After Musk completed his acquisition of the company in October last year, he drastically cut costs and shed thousands of jobs.
X could challenge the fine in the Australian Federal Court. But the court could impose a fine of up to AU$780,000 ($493,402) per day since March when the commission first found the platform had not complied with the transparency notice.
The commission would continue to pressure X through notices to become more transparent, Inman Grant said.
“They can keep stonewalling and we’ll keep fining them,” she said.
The commission issued Google with a formal warning for providing “generic responses to specific questions,” a statement said.
Google regional director Lucinda Longcroft said the company had developed a range of technologies to proactively detect, remove, and report child sexual abuse material.
“Protecting children on our platforms is the most important work we do,” Longcroft said in a statement. “Since our earliest days we have invested heavily in the industrywide fight to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material,” she added.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
- SDG 5: Gender Equality
The issues highlighted in the article are related to child sexual exploitation, sexual extortion, and the livestreaming of child sexual abuse. These issues are directly connected to SDG 16, which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. Additionally, SDG 5, which focuses on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, is relevant as these issues disproportionately affect women and girls.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children
- Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres
The article highlights the need to address child sexual exploitation and abuse, which aligns with Target 16.2 of SDG 16. Additionally, the issue of violence against women and girls is mentioned, which relates to Target 5.2 of SDG 5.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Indicator for Target 16.2: Number of cases of child sexual exploitation and abuse reported and addressed
- Indicator for Target 5.2: Number of reported cases of violence against women and girls
The article does not provide specific data or statistics related to the indicators, but it highlights the importance of addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as violence against women and girls. These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets by tracking the number of reported cases and the actions taken to address them.
4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions | Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children | Number of cases of child sexual exploitation and abuse reported and addressed |
| SDG 5: Gender Equality | Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres | Number of reported cases of violence against women and girls |
Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.
Source: abcnews.go.com
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