1. age guarantee technology
In Wednesday's announcement on male violence, the government announced it would fund a pilot of age-guaranteed technology “to protect children from harmful content such as pornography and other age-restricted online services.”
“The pilot will identify age-proof products available to protect children from online harm and test their effectiveness, including with respect to privacy and security.”
The idea has been discussed for some time and was previously rejected by the government. In a March 2023 report, the eSafety Commissioner proposed an “Age Verification Roadmap” that includes measures to prevent child pornography from harming children. In an August 2023 response, the government did not respond to this call, stating that age verification technology was “immature but still under development” at the time.
The response notes that such programs work reliably without evasion, can be implemented comprehensively, even when such content is hosted outside of Australia, and protect privacy while not posing additional privacy risks. and security risks need to be balanced.
The government's response states that “Age Guarantee technology is not yet able to meet all these requirements” and that a decision to mandate Age Guarantee is “not ready to be made.”
Wednesday's pilot study announcement will “identify available products” and reveal whether they are currently implementable.
A key question is how much personal data, such as identification documents, must be provided to either online platforms, third-party platforms, or centralized government databases to verify age.
2. false alarm code
Communications Minister Michel Rolland said on Tuesday the government would table a controversial bill on online disinformation “later this year”. The bill was announced as a draft last year but was withdrawn following a backlash against free speech and the spread of harmful misinformation online in the wake of the Bondi Junction and Wakeley stabbings. , was the first relief proposed by the Albanon government.
Mr Rowland said the government was in “constructive consultation with a number of stakeholders” before announcing the latest legislation.
“The incidents in Bondi, but also in Sydney's west, highlight more than ever how important it is to hold platforms accountable for their systems and processes to combat the spread of harmful misinformation. “I think,” she said.
Shortly after the Wakeley and Bondi Junction stabbings, Mr Rowland told Nine Newspapers: “Doing nothing is not an option for any responsible government.”
3. News media negotiation code
The government is under pressure to put Meta's Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X under the News Media Bargaining Code, which would allow these social media companies to benefit from news content on their platforms. will negotiate deals with mainstream media.
Green Party spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young says the government should specify the platform. Treasurer Stephen Jones is awaiting advice from the Treasury and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on the impact of the changes on news organizations and social platforms.
Jones said social media companies have a “social responsibility” such as communicating news on their platforms. He added that it would be “anti-democratic” if, for example, Facebook repeated its 2021 action of completely removing news content during negotiations.
Four. Regulate algorithms and recommendation engines
Several government processes considering online reform have raised concerns about how social media algorithms serve harmful or violent content to users. The online harm ministers' meeting criticized “algorithmic recommendation systems that push out content from 'influencers' who perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes and condone violence against women.” Meanwhile, the terms of reference for the online safety law review include leveraging a range of emerging technologies, alongside artificial intelligence and end-to-end encryption, with recommendation engines listed among the 'hazards posed'. Masu. Recommendation engines are at the heart of online content personalization.
Guardian Australia understands the government is considering whether amendments to the Online Safety Act and the powers of the eSafety Commissioner could force social media platforms to view content that is harmful or violent to young people. are doing.
Five. Further restrictions on online abuse
The eSafety review also raised the possibility of changes to regulations around cyberbullying of children, sharing of intimate images without consent, online abuse of adults, or changes to rules around content depicting abhorrent acts of violence.
Following the Wakeley Church stabbing and the eSafety Commissioner's Federal Court action against X for releasing footage of the attack, the government is likely to take a closer look at whether these rules are fit for purpose. .
6. Digital “coordinating body”
Taking a more novel approach, the Senate Economics Committee's 2023 report examining the impact of global digital platforms received submissions suggesting the kind of comprehensive regulation of the technology sector.
The report, chaired by Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, recommended the federal government “establish a Digital Platforms Coordination Authority” and said it would address the “fragmentation” and overlap between current regulatory schemes and, in some cases, It raised concerns about “competing priorities.”
The report cited Green Party senator David Shoebridge's complaint that there was “an absence of a lead authority” in many areas. Some submissions called for increased resources from existing regulators such as the ACCC and the Australian Information Commissioner's Office. Some called for a new regulator with specific digital expertise and a new parliamentary committee dedicated to online issues.
The Government's response to the Committee's observations points to continued efforts to strengthen existing processes.
7. “Technology tax”
To further regulate online platforms, Han Sung-yong called on the government to “tax them appropriately” and create new rules for owners.
“Comprehensive media reform is needed to ensure media regulation that is fit for purpose and covers both big tech companies and modern media companies. “We should do a test,” she said recently.
There are also suggestions that tax increases could be used to directly fund public interest journalism.
The Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defense Dialogue (AP4D) think tank recently proposed a new digital platform tax to provide funding for news media to combat the “rise of misinformation and disinformation.”
