J57 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting

Facebook listened in on private talk

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Original article by David Swan
The Australian – Page: 3 : 16-Aug-19

The Irish Data Protection Commission is investigating whether Facebook and other technology companies have breached EU privacy rules. This follows revelations they listened in on anonymous audio conversations in order to improve their products. Daniel Muchow, from Sydney company Risk-Logic, says the eavesdropping was a further example of Facebook taking advantage of user data for its own benefit, while he contends Facebook is "milking user apathy".

CORPORATES
IRISH DATA PROTECTION COMMISSION, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, RISK-LOGIC

ACCC poised to take tech giants to court

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Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 14-Aug-19

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is close to launching five cases against Google and Facebook in the aftermath of its digital platforms inquiry. The cases are understood to involve alleged breaches of consumer, competition and privacy laws, with ACCC chairman Rod Sims saying on 13 August that Facebook and Google must comply with Australia’s laws if they wish to do business here. He said a decision on whether to proceed with the five cases would be made before the end of 2019.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

It’s time to admit we are in an addictive relationship with technology

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Original article by Michael Tanner
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 12-Aug-19

There is increased awareness about the addictive nature of social media and technology, along with the emotional and psychological harm it can cause. Roy Morgan data indicates females aged 14 to 24 spend an average of 14 hours a week on social media, while the average for males in the same age bracket is nine hours. Australia is the middle of a significant mental health crisis, with depression and anxiety at "sky-high" levels and suicide being the biggest cause of death in Australians aged 15-44. Although all this cannot be blamed on social media and technology, there is no doubt it is a significant contributing factor.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Facebook’s $7bn fine piques the interest of Privacy Commissioner

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: Online : 12-Aug-19

Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk launched an investigation into Facebook Australia in 2018. This followed the latter revealing up to 311,000 Australians might have had their personal data "improperly shared" by Cambridge Analytica. Falk, who was a key adviser to ACCC chairman Rod Sims on his report into digital platforms and their impact on traditional media, says the investigation is a "matter of great priority" for her office. She notes with interest the recent $US7 billion fine that the US Federal Trade Commission imposed on Facebook in the wake of a number of privacy violations by it, including the Cambridge Analytica leak.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION COMMISSIONER, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA LLC, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Optus banks on EPL to boost subscribers

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 26 : 9-Aug-19

Optus’s sports streaming service currently boasts more than 700,000 subscribers, and the telco is optimistic that the new English Premier League season will attract more customers. Optus CEO Allen Lew notes that no EPL matches will broadcast on free-to-air networks during the new season; he adds that in addition to live streaming of all matches, Optus Sport will seek to deliver additional value to customers via its coverage of the EPL. Optus initially secured exclusive EPL rights in 2015, and its deal was renewed in 2018.

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SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Privacy warning on Facebook currency

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Aug-19

An Australian-led initiative has seen privacy regulators from around the world write an open letter to Facebook, in which they voice concerns about its proposed Libra digital currency. The letter states that Facebook has not provided sufficient information on how Libra would protect the data of Facebook users. They are also concerned that Facebook has indicated that it intends to promote the use of Libra in developing countries, many of which lack suitable data protection regulations.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PRIVACY COMMISSIONER, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Sky pulls videos from Twitter posts but embraces new Facebook deal

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Original article by Zoe Samios, Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 23 : 5-Aug-19

Sky News Australia CEO Paul Whittaker says it will continue to use Twitter to post breaking news stories and links to content on its website. However, Sky News will cease distributing its video content via the social media platform, after online activists edited its videos to create fake news stories. Meanwhile, its free-to-air rivals will launch exclusive news bulletins on Facebook Watch, while Sky News will produce a daily show called ‘Unpacked’, which will focus on a major news story each day.

CORPORATES
SKY NEWS, TWITTER INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, JUNKEE MEDIA PTY LTD, PEDESTRIAN, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, MICROSOFT CORPORATION, TABOOLA

Big Tech inquiry lauded abroad

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 25 : 5-Aug-19

The final report of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s inquiry into digital platforms has received strong support from the global media industry. News Media Alliance CEO David Chavern says the US government should hold a similar inquiry into the market power of digital players such as Google and Facebook. Meanwhile, the UK News Media Association’s deputy CEO Lynne Anderson says the federal government should act quickly on the ACCC’s recommendations.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NEWS MEDIA ALLIANCE, NEWS MEDIA ASSOCIATION, GREAT BRITAIN. COMPETITION AND MARKETS AUTHORITY, EUCLID LAW

Facebook needs years to regain trust

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 19 : 2-Aug-19

Facebook’s chief marketing officer Antonio Lucio has conceded that it will take years for the social media giant to regain the trust of consumers and advertisers in the wake of a series of scandals. He has told the AdWeek conference that trust is built through "very meaningful action" rather than mere words. Meanwhile, Facebook executive Ime Archibong says the company still has much work to do to address some consumer concerns, including how it deals with hate speech.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

New Foxtel streaming to follow Kayo

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 1-Aug-19

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany continues to downplay speculation that the pay-TV group intends to launch a non-sports streaming video service. Kayo Sports has been a huge success since its launch in November 2018, with 209,000 paying subscribers in early May. Delany says Foxtel is continuing to look at streaming options for its non-sport content; the mooted drama and entertainment streaming service is known internally as ‘Project Jupiter’.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS