What effect will new legislation have on social media platforms?

What does the abhorrent violent material bill actually mean?

If you would like to read the new bill firsthand, the Sharing of abhorrent violent material bill definition of what is meant by “abhorrent violent material”. The 24 page document outlines the circumstances under which one is in violation of this new social media posting law.

What is classified as abhorrent violent conduct?

Section 474.32 states that the sharing of abhorrent violent material occurs when a person/s:

(a) engages in a terrorist act; or
(b) murders another person; or
(c) attempts to murder another person; or

(d) tortures another person; or
(e) rapes another person; or
(f) kidnaps another person

Business Australia’s article regarding strict new social media laws takes the conservative right position and this raises a number of concerns.

Is the new law right, trying to control what is posted online?

Naturally, the question of whether it’s right to post such sensitive and potentially scarring imagery, was at the forefront of the discussion. In fact, it’s still very much a trending topic.

Is the discussion surrounding censorship actually the issue confronting us today? Is it right, fair, just and in the general public’s interest to prevent the publishing of inflammatory content?