eSafety releases draft online sexual abuse and terror content codes
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The news: Tech companies would be required to do more to combat child abuse and pro-terror material online under draft standards from the eSafety Commissioner. The standards cover Designated Internet Services, including apps, websites, file and image storage services, and Relevant Electronic Services, which covers messaging apps, including end-to-end encrypted messaging.
The numbers: The commissioner has released the draft standards for public consultation, which is open for 31 days.
The context: Last year, eight online industry associations were tasked with drafting enforceable codes of conduct under Australia's Online Safety Act. Six were registered by the eSafety Commissioner in 2023, but Designated Internet Services and Relevant Electronic Services were found to be lacking in safeguards.
What they said: "eSafety takes the privacy of all Australians very seriously so I want to be very clear on this — eSafety is not requiring companies to break end-to-end encryption through these standards nor do we expect companies to design systematic vulnerabilities or weaknesses into any of their end-to-end encrypted services," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement.
"But operating an end-to-end encrypted service does not absolve companies of responsibility and cannot serve as a free pass to do nothing about these criminal acts."
