(UPDATE) SYDNEY, Australia — Australia's government is deeply concerned by Meta's decision to scrap United States fact-check operations on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, a senior minister said on Thursday.
The government — which has been at the forefront of efforts to rein in social media giants — was worried about a surge of false information spreading online, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said.
"Misinformation and disinformation is very dangerous, and we've seen it really kind of explode in the last few years," Chalmers told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC).
"And it's a very damaging development, damaging for our democracy. It can be damaging for people's mental health to get the wrong information on social media, and so of course we are concerned about that," he said.
Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday that his company would "get rid of fact-checkers" and replace them with community-based posts, starting in the US.
Chalmers called the decision "very concerning."
The government had invested in trusted Australian news providers such as the ABC and national newswire Australian Associated Press (AAP) to ensure people had reliable sources for information, he said.
Disinformation and misinformation had become "a bigger and bigger part of our media, particularly our social media," the treasurer added.
Australia has frequently irked social media giants, notably Elon Musk's X, with its efforts to restrict the distribution of false information or content it deems dangerous.
Late last year, the country passed laws to ban children younger than 16 from signing up for social me-dia platforms. Offenders face fines of up to AU$50 million ($32.5 million) for "systemic breaches."
But in November, a lack of support in parliament forced the government to ditch plans to fine social media companies if they fail to stem the spread of misinformation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday he stood by the ban on children's access to so-cial media because of the impact it had on their mental health.
Asked about Meta's fact-checking retreat, Albanese told reporters: "I say to social media they have a social responsibility, and they should fulfill it."
Australian group Digital Rights Watch said Meta had made a "terrible decision," accusing it of acting in clear deference to incoming US President Donald Trump.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) currently works in 26 languages with Facebook's fact-checking program.
Facebook pays to use fact checks from around 80 organizations globally on the platform, as well as on WhatsApp and Instagram.
Australian fact-checking operation AAP FactCheck said its contract with Meta in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific was not impacted by the group's US decision.
"Independent fact-checkers are a vital safeguard against the spread of harmful misinformation and disinformation that threatens to undermine free democratic debate in Australia and aims to manipu-late public opinion," AAP CEO Lisa Davies said.