US warns Australia’s new digital duty-of-care plan could force censorship

The US government has formally expressed serious reservations about Australia’s proposed digital duty-of-care framework, arguing it could compel social-media services to implement one-size-fits-all design mandates, including forced chronological timelines and opt-in recommendation tools. In a diplomatic note from its Canberra embassy, Washington asked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s administration to abandon any rule that obliges platforms to algorithmically block content under loosely defined safety criteria.

US officials warned that the threat of penalties up to $109 million would likely push companies to over-moderate, curbing controversial speech and limiting the reach of independent journalists. They further cautioned that if Australian rules force algorithmic filtering of protected speech, the effect would be equivalent to outright removal of that content. The United States highlighted that the majority of impacted platforms are American-owned and that divergent foreign mandates could impose technically and commercially unmanageable design requirements. The objection comes as Albanese prepares to speak at the United Nations in New York, where he is expected to promote Australia’s leadership in tech regulation.