US raises concerns over Australia's digital duty of care plan

The US government has formally raised serious concerns about Australia's proposed digital duty-of-care policy, warning it could lead to censorship of legitimate speech and disproportionately impact American tech companies. The response was issued by the US embassy in Canberra. The US specifically objected to potential mandates requiring platforms to adopt rigid design features like chronological feeds or opt-in recommendation systems, and requested Australia withdraw plans to force algorithmic suppression of content based on ambiguous safety criteria. Washington warned that vague definitions of online harm risked enabling viewpoint-based censorship, with platforms likely over-moderating speech to avoid penalties up to $109 million. The US noted most affected platforms are American-owned and global, meaning mandatory design features could impact users outside Australia and create incompatible requirements across countries. The statement arrived as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends the UN in New York, and follows his earlier assertion that Australia would make policy in its own interests despite expected US resistance.