Responsibility of Social Media Platforms (Defamation Amendment) Bill 2022

Public bill · Private Member · Introduced

The proposal would change defamation law so that, where a defamatory post appears on a social media platform and the platform cannot or will not identify the original poster, the platform itself could be held liable and ordered to pay damages. It also creates legal presumptions that make it easier for a claimant to succeed in such cases by removing the need to prove some details about the original poster or the platform’s verification process. In practice, it shifts pressure onto platforms to keep better records and identify users who post harmful content.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to amend the law relating to defamation, in order to allow judgements of defamation be made against the social media platform on which the defamatory utterances were made when the social media platform in question is unable to produce the identity of the person who made the utterances, and to provide for related matters.

Last updated 14 November 2024