April 19, 2023
The Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media will commence the first round of public hearings in Canberra on Thursday and Friday this week. The Committee will hear evidence from national and international cyber, communications, human rights and academic experts on the risks to Australia’s democracy from foreign interference through social media.
On Thursday, the Committee will hear from witnesses including the US Federal Communications Commission, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, RAND, Internet 2.0, the Australian National University, John Hopkins University and the University of Nottingham.
On Friday, the Committee will hear from human rights advocates including the Human Rights Watch, Australian Supporters of Democracy in Iran, Australian Federation of Ukrainian Groups, and investigative journalist Vicky Xu.
Social media platforms are increasingly being weaponised by foreign authoritarian regimes seeking to spread disinformation, undermine social cohesion and impede decision making in target states like Australia.
Given ASIO’s assessment that foreign interference and espionage are Australia’s biggest principal security concern, it is critical we strengthen our defences in all domains where this insidious activity is being orchestrated.
These hearings will assist the Committee’s considerations of the scale of the threat and, importantly, any necessary policy responses to make Australia a hard target for foreign interference through social media.
As Committee Chair, I am determined to ensure all options are on the table to protect the millions of Australians who use social media every day.
Thursday 20 April 2023
8.30am – 5pm Committee Room 2S3
Friday 21 April 2023
8.30am – 2pm Committee Room 2S3
A program for the hearing is available here and the hearing will be broadcast live here.
