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<\/p>\nA cyber safety expert says a new plan to fight online trolls highlights the Victorian government’s lack of understanding of the digital world.<\/p>\n
The Allan government today announced it was drafting laws aimed at unmasking online trolls and clearing the path for parents to sue tech giants over psychiatric harm done to their children.<\/p>\n
Premier Jacinta Allan said the laws were being introduced to protect families from the more detrimental effects of online platforms.<\/p>\n
“[Parents] do feel powerless, and powerless on a couple of fronts,” Ms Allan said.<\/p>\n
“How quickly kids become obsessed with these online platforms \u2026 I see it in my own household.”<\/p>\n
Under the changes, which Ms Allan said the government would aim to introduce to parliament before November’s state election, parents would face fewer barriers to taking big tech companies to court.<\/p>\n
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The laws will also lower the threshold that parents need to pass in order to litigate against tech firms. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)<\/p>\n
Currently, a parent suing a social media or AI company must prove their child has experienced a permanent impairment of at least 10 per cent to bring the case before the courts.<\/p>\n
The government plans to lower the threshold for claims brought on behalf of minors, and said it would explore removing the threshold for adult victims as well.<\/p>\n
Ms Allan said the Australia-first legislation would also include laws targeting anonymous trolls online, clamping down on any users found to be breaching Victoria’s anti-vilification laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Too often, words can be used as a weapon to spew out far too much online hate,” Ms Allan said.<\/p>\n “Far too much of that is being hidden by anonymous online anonymity.”<\/p>\n Under the proposed changes the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) would gain “demasking orders”, allowing it to force social media companies to reveal the identity of anonymous users.<\/p>\n Ms Allan said the de-anonymising would then open the path of legal action.<\/p>\n “Right now you can’t bring a case against a person who is anonymous, we’re changing that by requiring tech giants to reveal the identity,” she said.<\/p>\n The laws would aim to open online trolls to the threat of civil lawsuits by revealing their identity. (Pexels)<\/p>\n Cyber safety expert says the government is out of touch with reality<\/p>\n The Victorian opposition said it supported the government’s proposal.<\/p>\n But Shadow Attorney General James Newbury said he was unsure if the laws would be introduced to parliament before the November state election.<\/p>\n “They won’t guarantee the laws will either be introduced or certainly passed, in the last four sitting weeks,” Mr Newbury said.<\/p>\n The plan has been harshly criticised by Susan McLean, a former Victorian police officer who now specialises in cyber safety.<\/p>\n She said there were already established processes for tech companies to provide police with the identity of an account holders when requested.<\/p>\n Cyber safety expert and former Victorian police officer Susan McLean says the new social media laws won’t change anything. (Supplied)<\/p>\n “I’m not really sure why the government thinks this is new or different,” Ms McLean said.<\/p>\n “We have had examples, particularly around AFL footballers, where they’ve been subjected to some pretty horrible online abuse, where they’ve gone to the police and an offender has been arrested.<\/p>\n “Why a lot of things go unreported is that people don’t make a police report in the first place.”<\/p>\n Ms McLean said there was no such thing as an anonymous social media account and all platforms had law enforcement portals that police could access.<\/p>\n “I think it shows that the Victorian government is out of touch with reality,” she said.<\/p>\n “They don’t understand how the digital landscape works in any regard.”<\/p>\n She said it “beggared belief” that the government had chosen VCAT as the forum for hearing cases.<\/p>\n “I do not think for one moment this is going to fix anything.<\/p>\n “It looks good on paper, it’s a good news story for the government.<\/p>\n “Let’s face it, the Victorian government is full of bad news stories in relation to crime, but this is not the way to go about it.”<\/p>\n The Morrison government pitched similar laws aimed at forcing companies to reveal the identity of abusive users in 2021<\/a>, but the legislation did not pass.<\/p>\n![\"Close](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c6499cd148dcf327945d6d39dc52a9d1.jpeg\")
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