The U.S. embassy in Canberra criticized Australia’s proposed “digital duty of
care,” which would compel online services — including social platforms, game
companies and AI chatbots — to build products safe for users under 18 and permit
Australian users to opt out of algorithmic recommendations. Washington urged
Canberra to withdraw any requirement that would force platforms to suppress
content based on government-defined, vague safety standards. The unusually sharp
U.S. rebuke underscores rising bilateral friction as global regulators tighten
rules on Meta and other tech firms and signals a new regulatory and compliance
risk for platforms and AI services.
