Apenisa Waqairadovu 
[Source: Fiji Police Force/ Facebook] file photo
The Online Safety Commission has limited powers under the current Online Safety Act 2018.
Commissioner Filipe Batiwale stressed this following concerns over homophobic and harmful remarks made against a child on social media, which left many users frustrated.
Batiwale expresses disbelief over the action of the person behind the attack, saying the plea for financial support by the family of the child towards his surgery should be met with compassion and not hate and abuse.
The commissioner says it understands the public’s desire for swift action; however, it says there are limits to the powers of the commission.
He says the commission does not have the legal authority to take down Facebook groups or content on digital platforms.
Batiwale says these are foreign-owned platforms governed by their own community standards and content moderation processes.
He adds that the commission has initiated a legislative review of the Online Safety Act 2018 in partnership with the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Fiji Law Reform Commission.
The Commissioner says this review is focused on analyzing current gaps in the law and exploring whether the law should be extended to cover a broader range of online harms, including hate-based abuse and gender-based cyber abuse, among other things.
Batiwale is also urging all Fijians not to screenshot and share harmful posts or comments.
He says doing so one may be unintentionally contributing to the harm.
He encourages all members of the public to report such harmful content directly to the Online Safety Commission.
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