SpaceX owner Elon Musk has criticised the Australian government for planning to slap fines on social media platforms over the spread of misinformation.
According to The Guardian, Australia has proposed a law suggesting imposing hefty fines on social media companies for spreading false news.
As per the proposed bill, social media platforms could be fined up to 5% of their global revenue for allowing misinformation.
Tesla's boss reacted to the new proposed legislation and called the Australian government ‘fascists’ on his social media platform X (previously Twitter).
Meanwhile, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten slammed Musk while talking to Channel Nine’s show, saying, “Elon Musk's had more positions on free speech than the Kama Sutra. When it's in its commercial interests, he is the champion of free speech, and when he doesn't like it... he's going to shut it all down.”
Moreover, under the new proposed legislation, the companies would be required to design a code of conduct to stop online misinformation and get it approved by the regulator. If the company fails to make rules, then they will be required to follow rules made by the regular.
The social media companies that do not follow the rules will be slapped with heavy fines.
