The United States has admonished Australia over a proposed new law that would allow social media users in the country to opt out of algorithms used to decide what content they can see on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Canberra said on Tuesday that the proposed changes could amount to censorship by limiting the reach of content generated by Americans and restricting the business activities of American companies.
“If Australia compels platforms to aggressively filter content in algorithmic feeds to satisfy a government mandate, and such filtering draws in protected speech,” the embassy wrote, “the effect on a disfavored speaker or media source’s reach would not be meaningfully different than outright removal.”
“The U.S. government would likely consider such a measure as facilitating censorship,” said the statement, which called on Australia to withdraw plans that “suppress content based on ambiguous government-defined safety criteria.”
Australia has already placed controls on technology firms by becoming the first country in the world to introduce a nationwide ban on children younger than 16 having access to social media accounts.
The right to opt out of social media algorithms was announced earlier this month as part of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s proposed Digital Duty of Care law, which aims to give users more control over the content they see online. Platforms would be required to notify users that they can decide whether to include content recommended by algorithms in their social media feeds. Companies that failed to comply could face large fines.
“It’s not about giving government control, it’s about giving people back control over what they receive on their devices,” Mr. Albanese said in response to the U.S. Embassy’s criticism.
He added he would always stand up for Australia’s national interests. (Mr. Albanese later posted a selfie with President Trump, saying they had spoken on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.)
Dali Kaafar, a professor at Macquarie University and executive director of its Cyber Security Hub, said that it was unusual for the United States to intervene so directly in a matter of domestic Australian law, particularly using “language this strong.”
“These platforms operate globally, but the algorithms governing what Australians see, what is amplified to them and how their attention is shaped are largely designed and controlled overseas,” Professor Kaafar said. “Australia has a legitimate interest in deciding what protections and choices should apply to people using those systems in Australia.”
Most users are unlikely to opt out of content recommended by algorithms because the customized content is the reason they are spending more time on the apps, said Tama Leaver, a professor of internet studies at Curtin University in Perth.
“It is strange for the administration to take such a strong position on this when the likelihood is that even if it was implemented, it wouldn’t do much damage to the company’s bottom line,” Professor Leaver said, referring to the Trump administration.
The proposed changes also would not affect the freedom of speech for anyone inside the United States, he added, though “it might impact their reach in a fairly minimal sense.”
Social media companies already comply with local laws in other countries such as Germany, which bans use of Nazi symbols, he said.
The proposed Digital Duty of Care law will also require companies to limit harmful content, such as that promoting self-harm or eating disorders, on their A.I. chatbots, online games and apps and to limit addictive design features.
The U.S. Embassy issued its objections as world leaders convened at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where artificial intelligence was at the top of the agenda.
A.I. companies have acknowledged that their agents have gone rogue and hacked into corporate systems, prompting calls for more guardrails around the rapidly developing technology. However, Mr. Trump has said he would reject “any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control” artificial intelligence.
Victoria Kim contributed reporting.
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