The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is
working through a Code of Conduct for big tech companies including
Google and Facebook.
The Code, which was mooted last year as a result of the landmark
digital platforms inquiry in December, will address a number of
issues that arose from the inquiry, including user privacy and
greater transparency around how information collected is used.
Profiting from content
Another key concern was the inquiry's finding that in
Australia, Google and Facebook are profiting from content generated
by Australian media organizations.
Media companies have been unsuccessful in their early
negotiations with the tech giants and so Treasurer Josh Frydenberg
is now fast-tracking the code. He wants the document complete by
July 2020, and despite originally intending for it to have
'voluntary' buy-in from industry participants, says the
code will now be mandatory.
