Trump administration attacks Australia digital duty-of-care bill and seeks US platform carve-out
Published · Updated
What happened
The Trump administration said on 2026-09-22 that Australia’s proposed digital duty of care bill could amount to extraterritorial censorship if it lets Australians opt out of algorithmic feeds on US platforms, and it urged the Australian government to exempt US companies from the measure.
Why it matters
A domestic digital-regulation proposal now has a live cross-border dimension involving the United States, the home jurisdiction for many major platforms covered by the bill. That can affect the bill’s final scope, the willingness of platforms to comply, and the chance of trade or diplomatic friction around online-content and algorithm rules.
On 2026-09-22, the Trump administration publicly criticised Australia’s proposed digital duty of care legislation, arguing that provisions allowing users to opt out of algorithmic feeds could reach US services and operate as extraterritorial regulation. Washington also urged Canberra to exempt US platforms from the bill. The intervention turns an Australian platform-safety proposal into an active bilateral policy dispute, with immediate implications for legislative design, enforcement posture and Australia’s room to regulate large foreign tech platforms.
Watch for
Australian Treasury or the Department of Infrastructure release of draft amendments or an exposure-draft note on platform scope by 2026-09-25 Office of the United States Trade Representative filing, statement, or trade-barrier notice naming Australia's digital duty of care bill by 2026-09-25 Minister for Communications Anika Wells or the Prime Minister publicly ruling in or out a US-platform exemption by 2026-09-24 House of Representatives notice paper or committee schedule setting a hearing or vote window for the digital duty of care bill by 2026-09-25
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