Big Tech
Meta, TikTok Pan Australia Ban as YouTube Gets Personal Pass
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Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok and Snap Inc. questioned the integrity of Australia’s looming social media ban for under-16s after it emerged that Communications Minister Michelle Rowland made a personal pledge to YouTube’s boss to exempt the platform before a consultation process on the carveout had begun.
In a Dec. 9 letter to YouTube Chief Executive Officer Neal Mohan — a copy of which was obtained under freedom-of-information laws — Rowland said she was writing to “reaffirm the commitment” that the government would exclude YouTube from the ban. Her assurance came days after the legislation passed Australia’s parliament, but weeks before Rowland’s own department sought feedback on the proposed exemption.