Tech firms face fines, jail over violent content in Australia

CANBERRA, Australia - Australia could fine social media and Web hosting companies up to 10 percent of their annual global turnover and imprison executives for up to three years if violent content is not removed "expeditiously" under a new law.

The law passed by Parliament on Thursday is in response to a lone Australian gunman's attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15, killing 50 people as they attended Friday prayers.

The gunman broadcast his attack live on Facebook and the video was widely shared for over an hour before being removed, a time frame Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described as unacceptable.