Facebook, Google face steeper privacy fines under Australia plan

Tech giants such as Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google will face tougher penalties if they flout privacy laws, under a plan Australia’s prime minister said is necessary to safeguard personal information.

Australia’s government will introduce measures to increase fines for breaches, strengthen disclosure policies and embolden its privacy regulator to crack down on data misuse, according to a statement Sunday.

The plan comes amid mounting pressure for social media platforms to remove offensive and extremist content after 50 people died in last week’s attacks on two mosques in New Zealand. The shooting were live-streamed.