Elon Musk Calls Australia 'Fascist' Over Move To Fine Tech Giants For Misinformation Spread

Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, on Friday called Australia's centre-left government "fascists" over proposed legislation to slap fines on social media firms for failing to prevent the spread of misinformation online.

Australia's Labor government on Thursday unveiled legislation in Parliament that could fine internet platforms up to 5 per cent of their global revenue for enabling misinformation, joining a worldwide push to rein in borderless tech giants.

The proposed law would require tech platforms to set codes of conduct to stop dangerous falsehoods spreading and be approved by a regulator. The regulator would set its own standard if a platform failed to do so and fine firms for non-compliance.