Reddit Sues Australia Over Underage Social Media Ban

Reddit has revenge a suit successful Australia's High Court aiming to overturn nan country's under-16 societal media ban, Reuters reported. The forum level called nan rule contrary to Australia's constitution arsenic it intrudes connected free governmental discourse. It besides based on that Reddit shouldn't person been included successful nan prohibition since it isn't a societal media site, based connected nan law's definition. The action is apt to group successful mobility a prolonged ineligible battle, fixed Reddit's resources and its fame successful Australia

Australia's minimum property societal media ban, nan first of its benignant successful nan world, went into effect connected December 10. The 10 platforms affected, including Reddit, must barroom underage users aliases look a good of up to A$49.5 cardinal ($33 million). Platforms are utilizing a assortment of intends to find age, including property conclusion based connected activity and selfies.

However Reddit based on that nan rule comes pinch immoderate "serious privateness and governmental look issues" for users. "Australian citizens nether nan property of 16 will, wrong years if not months, go electors. The choices to beryllium made by those citizens will beryllium informed by governmental connection successful which they prosecute anterior to nan property of 18," it wrote successful nan filing.

The authorities disagreed, noting that Reddit revenge nan suit to protect is profits, not children's correct to free expression. "It is action we saw clip and clip again by Big Tobacco against baccy power and we are seeing it now by immoderate societal media aliases large tech giants," said Health Minister Mark Butler.

With a marketplace capitalization of $44 billion, Reddit surely has nan intends to prolong a agelong fight. It would beryllium motivated to do truthful arsenic well, fixed that Australia is its fourth-largest market aft Canada, nan UK and nan United States.