Social media companies could be forced to reveal the identities of anonymous users
in an effort to crack down on online trolling, under new laws being drafted by the federal government.
Key points:
A draft of the legislation will be released this week and is expected to be introduced to parliament next year
Companies would be required to create a complaints process for people who feel they have been defamed online
The laws would allow courts to force companies to handover the identities of users if people wanted to pursue legal action
The laws would require social media companies to collect the details of all users, and allow courts to force companies to hand over the identities of users to aid defamation cases.
Social media companies would also be made legally liable for the content they publish from users, removing liability from individuals and companies that manage pages.
The legislation will be released in draft form this week, and is expected to be introduced to parliament early next year.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he wanted to close the gap between real life and discourse online.
"The rules that exist in the real world must exist in the digital and online world," he said.
"The online world shouldn't be a wild west, where bots and bigots and trolls and others can anonymously go around and harm people and hurt people."
Under the proposal, social media companies will be required to create a complaints process for people who feel they have been defamed online.
The complaints process will allow people to ask that material be taken down by a user if they feel it is defamatory.
If the user is unwilling to take down the content, or the complainant wants to take further action, the company asks a user for their consent to release their personal details.
If the user does not consent to their details being released, a court order can be made requiring the company to release them — allowing the complainant to pursue defamation action.
Mr Morrison said the government would be happy to intervene in court and take on social media companies trying to avoid releasing personal details.
"We will be looking for test cases that can reinforce these laws," he said.