Councillor raises digital ID fears over social media ban

A SOUTH Gippsland Shire councillor has urged the council to write to the eSafety Commissioner over privacy concerns stemming from the upcoming under-16 social media ban.

Councillor Steve Finlay told last Wednesday's council meeting that he was concerned the new ban, set to kick in on Wednesday, December 10, could lead to a "de facto" digital ID regime due to the collection of identity data including facial recognition and biometrics.

The world-first law will ban under-16s from social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, Kick and Twitch in a bid to protect young people from online bullying, harassment and exposure to explicit content.

Social media platforms will be slapped with fines of up to nearly $50 million for non-compliance.

Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, announced last month it would start removing accounts of those aged under 16 using artificial intelligence – even if they had listed an older birthdate.

Cr Finlay said he was concerned the blanket ban of social media for under-16s would not be practical due to tech-savvy youth being able to find ways around the ban using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and anonymous web browsers.

"We may end up blocking the compliant users, but not the determined ones," he said.

"It's a bit like a padlock on one gate when everybody knows there are other unlocked gates and tunnels available.

"If the practical benefit is limited, we must ask, what else could be built in with online safety laws."

Cr Finlay said the ban could lead to more sweeping online safety laws and ultimately, an unofficial national ID system being implemented, "regulation by regulation".

"Even if the current legislation is well-intentioned, we must remember tools of surveillance and control do not vanish – they are repurposed," he said.

"Even if today's government is wise and restrained, we must ask - what about tomorrow's government, or the one after that.

"The concern is the pattern: sweeping powers implemented quietly and normalised over time without ever consulting the Australian public."

He urged the council to consider writing to the relevant authorities to ensure there were legal limits on how age verification data was stored and oppose any mandatory digital identification "for ordinary online life".

"A law cannot replace parental engagement, a platform cannot replace human guidance and an algorithm cannot replace moral development," he said.

"The real work of raising safe, resilient children happens in families, schools and communities."

Deputy Mayor Brad Snell acknowledged concerns about "losing that freedom of identity" but took a more optimistic view.

"The talk with youth has definitely increased with the upcoming social media ban and increased a certain amount of visibility for young people," Cr Snell said.

"Any press and any talk about young people is press that they didn't really have before."

Cr Finlay told the Sentinel-Times he would continue to push for the council to address his and the community's concerns over privacy with the eSafety Commissioner.