Elon Musk has criticized Australia's bill to ban social media for children under 16. The owner of social network X considers it a covert way of controlling the Internet and threatens fines of up to $32 million for violations.

American billionaire and owner of the social platform X Elon Musk has sharply criticized Australia's proposed law banning the use of social media for children under 16. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.

Details

The bill also provides for fines of up to AU$49.5 million (USD32 million) for companies that systematically violate the ban.

It seems to be a covert way to control Internet access for all Australians,

Musk wrote in response to a post by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the social network X.

The draft law envisages the introduction of an age verification system to restrict access to social media, which could become one of the strictest in the world. It does not provide for any exceptions, even with parental consent, and applies to existing accounts.

Addendum

In France, last year, it was proposed to ban social media for people under 15, but with the possibility of parental permission. The US has a rule that requires parental consent to collect data from children under 13, but there is no complete ban.

This is not the first time Musk, who positions himself as a defender of free speech, has clashed with the Australian government. Earlier, he called the Labor Party government "fascist" over their disinformation law.

In April, X filed a lawsuit against the Australian cyberspace regulator for demanding the removal of posts about the attack on a bishop in Sydney. This angered Albanizi, who called Musk an "arrogant billionaire.

Recall

The Australian government has introduced a bill to ban social media for people under 16. Violators face fines of up to $32 million and the introduction of biometric verification.