Watchdog lays the groundwork for digital platforms to self-regulate on misinformation and news quality
Australia’s media watchdog – the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) – says digital platforms should not be arbiters of truth online.
This is a sentiment shared by Facebook’s CEO, however unlike Mark Zuckerberg, ACMA says the digital platforms need to do more as misinformation is a cause of serious community concern.
ACMA said it’s time for the digital platforms to codify and commit to permanent actions “that are systematic, transparent, certain and accountable for their users in addressing” potentially harmful material.
ACMA’s position is made clear in its position paper which outlines its expectations for a voluntary code of practice on misinformation and news quality to be developed by the digital platforms.
Wouldn’t all of this simply be covered by applying 2 things to these platforms:
1. Apply a duty of care to the users – if people are harmed by the content presented to them on the platforms, the platforms are liable.
2. Remove the protections that only platforms are allowed compared to other publishers – platforms are responsible for the content that they present to users, just as publishers are.
I think back to some of the recent times that publishers have been sued for their reporting, Joe Hockey vs. Fairfax, Rebel Wilson vs. Bauer, Geoffrey Rush vs. The Australian.
These publications had to pay $$ for saying things that were not nice or defamatory to politicians/celebrities.
Yet, the Facebooks and Googles of the world can be left to self regulate? We have already seen that their poor handling of misinformation has had more serious implications. We have seen elections being influenced, an emergence of anti vaxers, confusion about Covid-19, even flat blooming earthers.
These guys are ruining the world and we seem to just let them be their own moral compass. Its rubbish!