WEB SEARCH ENGINES – AUSTRALIA

Digital titans far from ad land’s biggest problem

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Original article by Michael Bailey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 12-Dec-18

Adveritas CEO Matthew Ratty estimates that advertising networks account for up to 40 per cent of fraudulent online ad revenue in Australia each year, making them a larger problem for the sector than digital giants such as Google and Facebook. He says the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s proposed crackdown on digital platforms should be broadened to include ad networks. Meanwhile, Indago Digital’s Tom Sadler says all advertisers that spend more than $5,000 a month online should use a third-party verification tool.

CORPORATES
ADVERITAS LIMITED – ASX AV1, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, INDAGO DIGITAL, DIGIVIZER PTY LTD, ESSENCE, GROUPM COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD, UBER TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED

Rules risk entrenching giants

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Original article by Michael Bailey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 11-Dec-18

LegalVision’s James Adler has questioned the merits of the ACCC’s proposal for an "opt-in" regime for the collection and use of customers’ personal data by digital platforms. Adler warns that the proposal would adversely affect many local digital start-ups while increasing the competitive advantage of established players such as Google and Facebook.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, LEGALVISION PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Facebook and Google face clamp on customer data

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 11-Dec-18

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has concluded that Google and Facebook have substantial market power. The 378-page preliminary report of its inquiry into digital platforms has made 11 recommend­ations aimed at making digital players more accountable with regard to their use of customers’ data and how their algorithms work. Amongst other things, the ACCC has noted that the digital giants have contributed to declining investment in local news and journalism.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Tech titans face crackdown

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 10-Dec-18

The preliminary report of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s review of digital giants’ impact on the media and advertising markets will be released on 10 December. Amongst other things, the report raises concerns about the lack of transparency regarding the algorithms used by digital companies and whether such companies have engaged in "discriminatory conduct". The ACCC may also recommend establishing a regulatory auth­ority that would have the power to investigate digital companies over such conduct.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, ALPHABET INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, INSTAGRAM LLC, WHATSAPP INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, WORLD FEDERATION OF ADVERTISERS

News boss blames tech giants for erosion of trust in journalism

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Original article by Matthew Denholm
The Australian – Page: 2 : 20-Aug-18

Campbell Reid of News Corp does not believe that consumers’ trust in journalism has declined in recent years. However, he says that technologies companies such as Google and Facebook are solely responsible for any such decline in trust, and they need to take action to address this issue by removing fake news and ensuring that trusted news sources are given prominence on their platforms. Reid will be part of a panel discussion on trust in journalism at a conference in Hobart in September.

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

Media probe pledge to protect journalism

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 19 & 23 : 4-Jul-18

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims says Facebook and Google are "clear competitors" to traditional media companies with regard to advertising revenue. He has told a conference in Sydney that the ACCC’s investigation into digital platforms will examine whether their growing share of ad revenue is having an impact on quality journalism in the publishing and broadcasting sector. Digital companies’ collection and use of consumer data will also be scrutinised by the inquiry.

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

Former US official warns on digital tax

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Original article by Nassim Khadem
The Age – Page: 23 : 5-Jun-18

The federal government is examining ways of taxing the billions in advertising revenue that digital companies Google and Facebook are generating. One option under consideration is a three per cent tax on turnover. Bob Stack, who was previously an official with the US Treasury under the administration of Barack Obama, does not think such a tax is a good idea. He says it could result in double taxation and might spark retaliation from the US government, which could increase taxes on Australian companies.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, DELOITTE LLP, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, APPLE INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

ABC to spend up big on digital ads

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 3 : 25-May-18

The ABC’s CFO Louise Higgins has revealed that the public broadcaster will allocate around $1.4m to advertising on Facebook during 2018, while its budget for Google’s AdWords will be about $A500,000. However, Higgins has rejected suggestions that the ABC is using taxpayers’ funds to compete with commercial TV networks. She also told a Senate estimates committee hearing that the ABC has an obligation to make consumers aware of the content it produces.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Google revenue hits $3b, loss for Facebook

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 1-May-18

Google Australia’s accounts for 2017 reveal that it booked gross revenue of $A3.06 billion. Net revenue, on which Google is taxed in Australia, totalled $A1.022 billion. Google Australia paid tax of $A37.2 million in 2017 and it made a profit of $A125.1 million. Meanwhile, Facebook Australia boasted revenue of $A476.8 million in 2017, up from $A326.9 million in 2016. It reported a $A9.6 million loss as a result of a tax charge.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Seven takes battle to tech giants

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 23-Apr-18

Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes says digital giants Google and Facebook should be subject to the same regulatory regime as Australian media companies, to ensure a level playing field in the advertising market. Seven’s submission to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s inquiry into the impact of digital platforms on the media and advertising markets has recommended that Facebook and Google should pay a fee for distributing content from traditional media companies. Seven also argues that audience measurement data for ads on Google and Facebook should be subject to independent audits.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA LLC, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS