Big Tech Appoints Digi To Handle False And Defamatory Content In Australia

JAKARTA - An Australian technology agency, Digital Industry Group Inc, which is backed by units of Facebook, Google and Twitter, said on Monday it had set up a special committee to handle and adjudicate complaints over misinformation. The decision comes a day after the government threatened tougher laws over false and defamatory online postings.

The issue of damaging postings on social media has emerged as a second battleground between Big Tech and Australia, which last year passed a law to make platforms pay licensing fees for content, which ultimately sparked Facebook's temporary outage in February.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week called social media a "palace of cowards", while the government said on Sunday 10 October that it was seeking steps to make social media companies more accountable, including imposing legal responsibility on platforms for content published on social media. in it.

Digital Industry Group Inc, which represents the Australian unit of Facebook Inc, Alphabet's Google and Twitter Inc, said the new misinformation control subcommittee shows that the industry is willing to self-regulate against damaging posts.

The tech giant has agreed to a code of conduct against misinformation. “We want to further strengthen it with independent oversight from experts, and public accountability,” said DIGI Managing Director, Sunita Bose, in a statement.

An "independent complaints sub-committee" of three will seek to resolve complaints about possible code of conduct violations via a public website, DIGI said, but will not accept complaints about individual postings.

Industry codes of conduct cover things like taking action against misinformation that affects public health, which would include the new coronavirus.

DIGI, which also counts Apple Inc and TikTok as signatories, said it could issue a public statement if a company is found to have violated its code of conduct or revoke its signatory status with the group.

Australian Communications Minister Paul Fletcher, who has been one of the senior MPs promising tougher action against platforms hosting misleading and defamatory content, welcomed the move. Meanwhile consumer groups think it's not far enough.

"I am pleased that DIGI is announcing this important development to strengthen the way the code will protect Australians from misinformation and disinformation," Fletcher said in a statement.

But Reset Australia, an advocate group focused on the impact of technology on democracy, said the watchdog panel was "ridiculous" because it didn't involve punishment and the code of conduct was optional.

"The DIGI code is nothing more than a PR stunt given the negative PR surrounding Facebook in recent weeks," said Director of Technology Reset Australia, Dhakshayini Sooriyakumaran, in a statement, urging regulation for the industry.

The CEO of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, Andrew Williams, said the move was a "step in the right direction" but was too limited because only people with Google accounts could file complaints on the new website.

"It is important that any information that consumers need to know about the DIGI Complaint Portal is easily found and accessed by everyone," he said.