DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Parliamentary inquiry to put behaviour of big tech under scrutiny

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Original article by Michelle Grattan
The Conversation – Page: Online : 1-Dec-21

The House of Representatives’ select committee on social media and online safety will hold an inquiry into large technology companies. Its terms of reference include examining the range of harms that Australians may be exposed to via online platforms such as social media and the risks associated with algorithm-driven content. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are among the technology giants that will be invited to appear before the inquiry, as will Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. The announcement of the inquiry will coincide with the release of an exposure draft of the federal government’s ‘anti-trolling’ bill.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, TWITTER INCORPORATED, INSTAGRAM LLC

ABC joins calls for tech titans to pay for news

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 7 : 9-Jul-20

The ABC’s MD David Anderson has used a National Press Club speech to argue that the public broadcaster should be included in a revenue-sharing agreement with digital companies such as Google and Facebook. He said this revenue could be reinvested in public interest journalism. Anderson also contended that the ABC provides "great value" in return for its annual budget of more than $1bn. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s draft mandatory code for digital companies is expected to be released by the end of July.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Big tech must pay media: Fletcher

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Original article by David Swan, Dennis Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 19 : 13-Apr-20

Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has welcomed the recent ruling that Google must negotiate a deal with French news publishers to pay for their content. He adds that the government’s expectation is that digital companies will also agree to pay Australian news publishers for their content. Seven West Media director Ryan Stokes says there must be "proper and fair renumeration" for local news content; he notes that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic has increased the importance of such a deal.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Tech titans told: strike news deal now

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 19 : 6-Apr-20

News Corp Australasia’s executive chairman Michael Miller says technology companies are the big winners from increased demand for the content of news publishers. Miller believes that the federal government will need to bring forward its November deadline for the digital giants to secure a revenue-sharing deal with traditional media companies. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission is due to release a progress report on the issue in May, and chairman Rod Sims has warned that it may intervene if the report shows that sufficient progress has not been made.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

AAP demise a wake-up call over digital giants

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Original article by Jennifer Dudley Nicholson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 5-Mar-20

Australian Associated Press chairman Campbell Reid says the newswire service’s impending closure shows that the impact of digital platforms on traditional media companies has reached a tipping point. He warns that there will be more casualties in the media sector unless digital platforms are forced to pay for news publishers’ content. The Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance has criticised the federal government for failing to act on key recommendations of a landmark inquiry into digital platforms.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Code of conduct needed for market failure: Sims

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 18-Nov-19

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has stressed the need for technology giants such as Google and Facebook to be subject to a code of conduct in their negotiations with traditional media companies. He has identified this as the most important recommendation arising from the ACCC’s inquiry into digital platforms. He notes that technology companies have made some progress in reducing the imbalance in bargaining power, adding that a code would facilitate this process.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, SKY NEWS, JUNKEE MEDIA PTY LTD, PEDESTRIAN TV, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

Google faces court case over misled users

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Original article by David Swan, Elias Visontay
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 30-Oct-19

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has launched legal action against digital giant Google for misleading users of Android smartphones with regard to the amount of data it collects and how the data would be used. Amongst other things, the ACCC contends that Google failed to inform consumers that it would continue to receive location data from their smartphones if they switched off the ‘location history’ option. Google faces potential fines of up to $10m or 10 per cent of its annual turnover if the alleged breaches of Australian consumer law are proven in the Federal Court.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Nine fights tech giants with new ad model

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 17-Oct-19

Nine Entertainment Company has used its annual ‘upfronts’ to reveal that it will adopt a cost per completed view model for advertising across its digital platforms. Clients will be charged only if a video ad is viewed in full. The move is aimed at technology giants Facebook and Google, which have attracted scrutiny over their own advertising policies. Nine has also advised that it has amalgamated the data that has been gathered across its digital platforms.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED

Reforms to level media playing field

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 4-Oct-19

Traditional and digital media companies will be subject to the same regulatory regime under changes proposed by the federal government. Any reforms arising from the review of the regulatory regime are expected to be implemented in stages, as recommended by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission in the final report of its Digital Platforms Inquiry. Potential reforms could include imposing local content obligation on subscription video-on-demand services and increasing the producer tax offset for TV shows.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, DISNEY+

News in call for curbs on big tech

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 1 : 30-Sep-19

News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller has called for legislative action to reign in the market power of digital platforms such as Google and Facebook. Amongst other things, he says such platforms should sign a mandatory code of conduct and be prohibited from using any publisher’s content unless they do so. Miller contends that technology platforms have been the biggest cause of damage to Australia’s media industry and Australians’ access to trusted and reliable content.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION