Australia to battle misinformation with new regulations for big tech companies

Australia’s media regulator will be able to force internet companies to share data regarding their handling of misinformation and disinformation under the laws passed by the government.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will also have the power to enforce an internet industry code on platforms which refuse to cooperate with the proceedings. The government said in their statement that this move is intended to reduce the spread of fake news.

The laws came after an ACMA investigation which found that four out of five Australian adults have encountered some misinformation regarding COVID-19 and almost 76 per-cent believe that online platforms should take more responsibility in cutting down the amount of false content.

The laws are somewhat similar to the standards imposed by Europe to curb false online content which will come into effect by the end of 2022. However, the European Union are looking at tougher measures in order to combat the misinformation campaign from Russia, according to Reuters.

“Digital platforms must take responsibility for what is on their sites and take action when harmful or misleading content appears,” Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said in a statement.

The authorities noted in the recent past that disinformation continue to target Australians and Facebook had removed four disinformation campaigns in Australia from 2019 to 2020, it said.

A spokesperson for Labor’s shadow communications minister, Michelle Rowland, told Reuters the opposition supported the expanded powers but the government had taken too long to introduce them since they were recommended in 2019.