DIGI statement on digital industry reforms announced this week
Media release, September 12/9/24: DIGI and its members will closely review and constructively engage with all digital industry reforms announced this week.
On the release of the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024, DIGI Managing Director, Sunita Bose, said:
“DIGI fully supports the need to reform the Privacy Act to give Australians more choice, control and transparency over their personal information and to drive greater corporate accountability economy-wide.
“The privacy reform process is an important opportunity to improve protections for Australian children and young people online, and we support the introduction of a children’s online privacy code that draws on the UK’s Age Appropriate Design Code and other similar models.
“As mainstream companies, unlike those operating in less visible parts of the Internet, DIGI’s relevant members have longstanding policies to prohibit doxxing on their services and we believe that criminal penalties send a strong message to people inclined to commit such atrocious acts.”
“DIGI has sought to constructively engage with the privacy reform process to date and we look forward to continuing our work with the Government on this issue after closely reviewing the details of the reforms announced today.”
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On the release of the revised Communications Legislation Amendment (Combating Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2023, DIGI Managing Director, Sunita Bose, said:
“DIGI shares the Government’s strong commitment to protecting Australians from harms related to misinformation and disinformation, demonstrated through our work developing and overseeing The Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation (ACPDM). We welcome that the Bill reinforces this code, which is currently adopted by nine major mainstream technology companies.
“Many questions remain on the bill and its implementation, which should be closely reviewed by a parliamentary committee and we hope to offer DIGI’s many years of experience combatting harmful misinformation and disinformation to that effort.”
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On the release of proposals earlier this week to restrict young people from social media DIGI Managing Director, Sunita Bose, said:
“Keeping young people safe online is a top priority for parents and platforms – mainstream digital services are making multi-billion dollar investments in safety and continued innovation.
“Parents should know that there is support available to them today – there are safety and parental controls that the mainstream industry has built that can be put in place now, and eSafety resources to support effective conversations with young people about Internet use.
“In addition to strong enforced safety restrictions, right now DIGI and its members are working closely with the eSafety Commissioner to create a second set of new legal requirements under the Online Safety Act that protect our children from unsuitable content.
“Ongoing investment and innovation in online safety is key. We urge the Government to listen to expert voices such as the eSafety Commissioner, the eSafety youth council, mental health experts, as well as LGBTQIA+ and other marginalised groups who have expressed concerns about bans so that we’re not unintentionally pushing our kids into unsafe, less visible parts of the Internet.
“DIGI plans to engage constructively with the Government on the details of proposals in this area as we all work together to keep our kids safe.”
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Sample industry resources for parents:
eSafety resources:
Further background on the The Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation:
The Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation (ACPDM) is a voluntary industry initiative to combat harmful misinformation and disinformation, introduced in February 2021. It currently has nine signatories – Apple, Adobe, Google, Legitimate, Meta, Microsoft, Redbubble, TikTok and Twitch– that have cemented their mandatory commitments, and nominated additional opt-in commitments, through public disclosures on the DIGI website.
Governance
DIGI developed the original code with assistance from the University of Technology Sydney’s Centre for Media Transition, and First Draft, a global organisation that specialises in helping societies overcome false and misleading information. Since its launch, the ACPDM has been strengthened through periodic review, including:
- In October 2021, DIGI introduced independent oversight and a complaints facility to increase accountability.
- In 2022, DIGI strengthened The Australian Code of Practice on Misinformation and Disinformation through a full review of the code, including receiving stakeholder feedback in a six week public consultation.
- An improved definition of ‘harm’ in relation to mis and disinformation and additional commitments reflecting updates to the strengthened EU Code of Practice.
- DIGI also introduced more proportionate annual transparency reporting requirements for smaller platforms to encourage them to adopt the code, which can be flexibly applied to different types of digital service providers.
- In 2024, the best practice guidelines were updated to more explicitly cover measures taken to combat disinformation and misinformation generated by artificial intelligence, as well as to address significant policy changes related to disinformation and misinformation that have taken place since the last reporting period.
Commitments under the ACPDM
Signatories remain committed to improving transparency reporting under the Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation, consulting with the ACMA on the transparency reporting process and the development of suitable metrics to assess signatories’ performance against the code outcomes
Mandatory code commitments include publishing & implementing policies on misinformation and disinformation, providing users with a way to report content against those policies and implementing a range of scalable measures that reduce its spread & visibility (Mandatory commitment #1). Every signatory has agreed to annual transparency reports about those efforts to improve understanding of both the management and scale of mis- and disinformation in Australia (Mandatory commitment #7).
Additionally, there are a series of opt-in commitments that platforms adopt if relevant to their business model: (Commitment #2) Addressing disinformation in paid content; (#3) addressing fake bots and accounts; (#4) transparency about source of content in news and factual information (e.g. promotion of media literacy, partnerships with fact-checkers) and (#5) political advertising; and (#6) partnering with universities/researchers to improve understanding of mis and disinformation.
About DIGI
The Digital Industry Group Inc. (DIGI) is a non-profit industry association that advocates for the digital industry in Australia. DIGI is a key Government partner in efforts to address online harms, data and consumer protection online and to grow the digital economy, through code development, partnerships and advocacy for effective and implementable approaches to technology policy.