INTERNET INDUSTRY – AUSTRALIA – REGULATION

Google fails to sign on to scams fight

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Original article by David Ross
The Australian – Page: 17 : 14-Jun-24

Meta has signed up to an intelligence-sharing agreement aimed at combatting financial scams and fraud via the sharing of information between social media platforms and market participants. However, Google is yet to sign up to the agreement, nor have X or TikTok, and Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones has called them to do so. He says that if social media platforms want to operate in Australia that they must be part of the "team" when it comes to combatting scams, although Google claims it was not approached to join the intelligence-sharing agreement.

CORPORATES
META PLATFORMS INCORPORATED, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, X CORPORATION, TIKTOK, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Government introduces laws to protect Australians from online misinformation

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Age – Page: Online : 20-Jan-23

Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland intends to give the Australian Communications & Media Authority the power to retract information from technology companies if they do not meet the standards of a voluntary misinformation and disinformation code of practice previously established by the tech sector. Rowland contends that misinformation and disinformation presents a threat to Australia’s democracy, society and economy, as well as to the safety and wellbeing of its citizens.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

News bargaining code a success not to be repeated: Sims

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Original article by John Davidson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 1-Mar-22

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims claims that the news media bargaining code has been one of the most successful policy initiatives in 50 years. The code requires technology platforms such as Google and Facebook to pay Australian media outlets for their content, and has seen Facebook and Google pay Australian media companies over $200 million since it took effect in March 2021. However, Sims does not consider the code should be used as a ‘template’ for a wider crackdown on big technology companies.

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

News bargaining code a success not to be repeated: Sims

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Original article by John Davidson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 1-Mar-22

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims claims that the news media bargaining code has been one of the most successful policy initiatives in 50 years. The code requires technology platforms such as Google and Facebook to pay Australian media outlets for their content, and has seen Facebook and Google pay Australian media companies over $200 million since it took effect in March 2021. However, Sims does not consider the code should be used as a ‘template’ for a wider crackdown on big technology companies.

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

Big tech faces tough new laws in ACCC plan

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Original article by John Davidson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 & 22 : 7-Sep-21

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is looking at what is known as ‘ex ante’ regulation as part of its plans to clamp down on the anti-competitive behaviour of big technology companies like Google and Apple. ‘Ex ante’ regulation involves banning certain anti-competitive behaviour before it happens, rather than after the event, and it already exists in the telecommunications and electricity sectors. The US, Britain and Japan are among a number of jurisdictions looking at ‘ex ante’ regulation of large technology companies, while Jacqueline Downes from law firm Allens says laws banning certain tech industry practices would be easier and quicker to enforce than current competition laws, which she says can be slow to prosecute.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED, ALLENS

ACCC to target Google and Facebook again

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 6-Jul-21

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims says a US court’s recent rejection of an antitrust case against Facebook will not deter global regulators from taking further action against digital giants. However, rather than seeking to have companies such as Facebook and Google broken up, the ACCC will use two current inquiries into digital advertising services and digital platform services to try to limit their ability to exploit their market power. Both inquiries are slated to report to the federal government in coming months.

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

Regional papers concern

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Original article by Miranda Ward
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 29-Mar-21

Country Press Australia is holding talks with both Facebook and Google regarding the news media bargaining code. CPA represents the publishers of 160 regional newspapers nationwide; its negotiations have come at a time when there is growing concern that the Facebook News product will have limited relevance to regional newspapers as it is focused primarily on national news. Australian Community Media is also in talks with Facebook, while it secured a deal with Google in late 2020.

CORPORATES
COUNTRY PRESS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA PTY LTD

Competition policy sealed tech giants deal

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 19 : 1-Mar-21

The federal government’s news media bargaining code has already prompted Google to secure commercial deals with some media companies. Facebook in turn has signed a letter of intent with Seven West Media and is negotiating with other news publishers. Communications Minister Paul Fletcher says there has been "significant overseas interest" in the approach the government took in treating the code as an issue of competition policy rather than copyright law. He adds that the code provided the leverage needed to ensure a level playing field between traditional media and digital platforms.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Poison pill holds up Facebook deals

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Original article by Miranda Ward
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 1-Mar-21

Facebook launched its ‘Facebook News’ product in the US in 2020, but Australia was not included in the launch because of the ongoing discussions about the federal government’s proposed media bargaining code. That code has now passed into law, while Facebook is expected to launch Facebook News in Australia once it has concluded deals with local news publishers. However, such deals are stalling over Facebook’s so-called ‘poison pen’ clause. There are suggestions that publishers could use the code to enter into an arbitration process with Facebook, should it decide to initiate the poison pill.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Big Tech to pay annual charge

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 4 : 17-Feb-21

The federal government has agreed to make a number of ‘technical’ changes to its media bargaining code. Amongst other things, digital platforms such as Google and Facebook will now pay news publishers an annual lump sum, rather than per click or snippet, while the requirements for them to give notice of changes to their algorithms will be simplified. Meanwhile, JPMorgan estimates that Seven West Media could gain up to $69.2m a year from its newly-struck content deal with Google. Other news publishers are also believed to be in talks with Google.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED