Elon Musk Criticizes Australia's Misinformation Legislation

Elon Musk has labeled Australia's center-left government 'fascists' in response to proposed legislation that would fine social media platforms for failing to curb misinformation. The law aims to hold tech giants accountable by making them create codes of conduct and imposing fines for non-compliance. This has sparked criticism and debate.

Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, on Friday called Australia's center-left government 'fascists' in response to proposed legislation that would impose fines on social media firms that fail to prevent the spread of misinformation online.

The Australian Labor government revealed legislation on Thursday that could fine tech platforms up to 5% of their global revenue for enabling misinformation, echoing a global movement to regulate borderless tech giants. The proposed law would mandate tech platforms to set codes of conduct to curb dangerous falsehoods, with oversight from a regulator. Should a platform fail to comply, the regulator would set its own standards and impose fines for non-compliance.

Responding to the legislation, Musk, who positions himself as a free speech advocate, labeled the government 'fascists' via a one-word post on X, sparking backlash from officials. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability, while Government Services Minister Bill Shorten accused Musk of flip-flopping on free speech for commercial gains. This marks another chapter in Musk's contentious relationship with Australian authorities, following a previous legal clash over content moderation.

(With inputs from agencies.)