New Zealand: Introduced Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015

On 23 June 2015, the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 was introduced to the House of Representatives. The Act establishes a procedure enabling users to submit a "notice of complaint" to a website, seeking the removal of harmful third-party content. The Act defines harmful content as either illegal material or legal content that violates the "communication principles" outlined in the Act. These principles encompass content that is threatening, grossly offensive, obscene, harassing, discriminatory, a breach of confidence, or involves the disclosure of sensitive personal information. Additionally, the Act considers content that makes false allegations, incites individuals to send harmful messages, or encourages an individual to commit suicide as harmful. Finally, the Act requires online service providers to promptly remove reported harmful content within a 48-hour timeframe. Failure to comply with these provisions will otherwise shield websites from any civil or criminal proceedings initiated against them.