US Criticizes Australia’s Social Media Algorithm Opt-Out Plan as “Censorship”

The United States has criticized Australia’s proposal to let social media users opt out of algorithmic feeds, arguing that the plan could amount to “censorship of protected speech.”

Under Australia’s proposed Digital Duty of Care Bill, technology companies could face hefty fines if they fail to give users the option to turn off algorithms designed to protect them from harmful content.

US raises concerns about Australia’s digital safety bill

In a rare submission on the legislation, the US Embassy in Canberra said it had “grave concerns” about allowing the Australian government to enforce vague definitions of “harm.” It said doing so could amount to “viewpoint-based censorship.”

“We urge Australia to clarify how exactly ‘harm’ and ‘risk’ are determined and ensure that these definitions do not infringe on protected speech,” the US said in its submission.

The US also argued that the proposed legislation could reduce the reach of independent journalists and other voices whose content addresses sensitive or controversial topics. It warned that technology companies could be required to “preemptively demote” such content.

Albanese says the bill gives control to users

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected claims that the bill would give the government control over what people see online.

“It’s not about giving control to the government,” he told media in New York.

“It’s about giving people control over what they receive on their devices.”

The criticism came during Albanese’s visit to the United States to address the United Nations General Assembly on the Australian government’s technology policy.

US warns of global impact on social media platforms

The US submission said the opt-out option could allow regulators to impose “strict and uniform platform design requirements” on technology companies. It warned that those requirements could affect users beyond Australia.

“Mandatory platform design features, particularly when applied to algorithms, can influence what users see, say and hear, not only in Australia and beyond, but around the world.”

The US also called on Australia to address industry concerns that the “biases and preferences” of government officials could disadvantage independent or minority viewpoints.

Another concern outlined in the submission was that the legislation could affect Australia’s “reputation as an innovation-enabling jurisdiction.”

Australia’s wider push to protect young social media users

On Tuesday, local time, Albanese responded to criticism and claims that the proposed legislation represents government overreach.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump downplayed concerns about artificial intelligence in a speech at the United Nations. He rejected proposals for AI guardrails and argued that AI should be renamed “superintelligence” because “using the word artificial sounds fake.”

Australia’s latest proposal to protect online users from harm comes less than a year after the country introduced a social media ban for children under 16 last December.