Industry responds to ACMA report on mis/disinformation Code
The industry has responded to Government’s release and response to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) report assessing The Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation earlier today.
The report was commissioned in June 2021, following the development of the Code by the Digital Industry Group Inc (DIGI) under the supervision of ACMA, created as a voluntary code of practice based on the recommendations of the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry.
The report, though release publicly today, was first provided to the Government in June 2021, predating DIGI’s announcement of the Code’s governance arrangements in October 2021. Since then, DIGI has strengthened the Code with an independent complaints committee to resolve complaints of possible breaches by signatories and has introduced a portal on its websites for the public to raise such complaints.
Now that’s over it will be nice that these government bodies put their focus away from capitalist endeavours and focus on the harm that the media, marketing and advertising self-regulation system is doing to actual humans. We now know that harmful stereotypes are a cause in domestic violence, bullying and mental health problems in society. The self-regulation system has no accountability, no ombudsman and the government ignoring a much more important topic than a few dollars here and there to a brand’s ad campaign. Time for an enquiry in the right places, me thinks.