Pioneering in protecting children in cyberspace

SGGP June 7, 2023 07:07

Australians’ internet activities are taking up more and more of their lives. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that 99% of 15-17 year olds are the most dependent on the internet, spending an average of 18 hours online each week.

Australia strives to control harmful information in cyberspace

As a result, the Australian eSafety Commission has made the final decision on the world's first Internet Safety Code, which requires the technology industry to take appropriate steps to reduce access to harmful content.

The regulations are intended to ensure that internet companies actively monitor and remove illegal content, such as child sexual abuse and terrorism-supporting material, from their platforms.

These measures show that Australia is a world leader in ensuring safety in cyberspace, said Julie Inman Grant, Director of the Australian eSafety Commission.

“Most Australians are surprised to learn that while child sexual abuse and support for terrorism are illegal, no government in the world has ever required tech companies to proactively prevent, detect and then remove this content,” Ms Grant said.

Ms Grant also affirmed that the cyber security regulations will not affect people's privacy rights. According to her, privacy rights should not be used as an excuse to not address cyber security issues.

Meanwhile, Mr. John Livingstone, Director of Cyber ​​Policy at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Australia, said that the government's cyber safety measures will help young people (who are vulnerable to danger) avoid content that can cause psychological trauma if accessed.

Specifically, these regulations help to improve the protection of children in the online world, as children spend a large proportion of their time online and are therefore at greater risk of harm. Any measures that can improve children’s online protection are welcome and help to achieve the goals that UNICEF aspires to.

For cyber safety measures to be implemented effectively, technology companies must be aware of their responsibilities and be held accountable for their actions, Mr. Livingstone said. “We need the technology industry to operate at high standards, especially when it comes to extremely dangerous forms of content such as child sexual abuse. We need to aim for the highest level of protection for children due to the serious impact of this type of content,” Mr. Livingstone said.

The UNICEF official said that if this were done, Australia would become the safest place in the world for children to access the internet. It is known that the eSafety Committee will negotiate online safety regulations, related to legislative documents that the Australian Government considers inappropriate for children, such as online pornography.

In the coming time, the E-Safety Commission will announce 5 regulations on online safety. The parties that are subject to these regulations include: social media services; application distribution services; data storage services; internet transmission services and manufacturers, suppliers, maintainers or installers of equipment related to online services or internet transmission.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tien-phong-bao-ve-tre-em-tren-khong-gian-mang-post692688.html