October 2024
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
The bigger story in Facebook’s face off with Canberra and the media
A parliamentary committee’s push to tax Facebook owner Meta Platforms to help fund journalism is part of a global regulatory move against big tech.
- James Thomson
December 2022
- Opinion
- Digital transformation
It’s high time we legislated governing principles for the digital age
It is important that Australia passes relevant laws in 2023 so consumers here can enjoy many of the benefits overseas citizens already have.
- Rod Sims
August 2022
‘Gatekeepers’ of data in the ACCC’s gun
“We’ve identified characteristics of digital platform markets that facilitate and entrench significant market power,” ACCC executive Tom Leuner told a forum.
- Tom Burton
September 2021
- Exclusive
- Tech crackdown
Big tech faces tough new laws under ACCC plan
Australia’s competition watchdog is planning rules for Apple, Google, Facebook and other big technology companies to rein in anti-competitive behaviour.
- John Davidson
May 2021
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Bragg starts crypto deep dive
Australia lags the world in regulating cryptocurrencies and digital assets, despite the threat these pose to the banking and finance sector.
- Tony Boyd
April 2021
Apple and Google told to open up app stores, or else
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has found that Apple and Google “restrict competition” through their app stores.
- Updated
- John Davidson
January 2021
ACCC moves to break up Google’s ad tech dominance
Competition tsar Rod Sims wants to shake up the advertising technology market, saying Google’s dominance means it is ‘marking its own homework’.
- Miranda Ward
Facebook and Google crackdown 'has legal backing'
Government ministers are confident that proposed laws forcing tech giants to pay news publishers for their journalism do not breach the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement.
- John Kehoe and Miranda Ward
December 2020
- Analysis
- Josh Frydenberg
Treasurer's big stick turns into a nudge
The government was wedged between big tech and local media publishers, so it took the middle road, hoping it would compel the digital giants to pay publishers commercial prices for news.
- John Kehoe
Tech giants win concessions, but ‘baseball arbitration’ remains
Facebook and Google will be allowed to count the value of online readers they deliver news websites in calculations to determine how much money they pay media organisations for the value of journalism on their platforms.
- John Kehoe and Max Mason
- Exclusive
- Media bargaining code
Google could cut Australians out of upgrades
Google engineers have been working on a secret project to exclude Australians from improvements to its services if it does not agree with proposed federal laws.
- Max Mason
Tech code to be introduced next week
Revised code of conduct legislation to make Facebook and Google pay for journalism on their platforms is expected to go through the Coalition party room on Tuesday.
- Max Mason
- Opinion
- Opinion
Make Google and Facebook pay for posting the news they don't make
Big tech produces no public interest journalism while drawing advertising away from those who do. The new media code will correct a market failure that threatens democracy.
- Angela Flannery
Tax Facebook if it cuts news: Nobel Prize winner
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says the Australian government's move to make Facebook and Google pay for journalism is the first step in regulating tech across the world.
- Max Mason
November 2020
- Exclusive
Google angling for media deals ahead of ACCC code
Google has been trying to get one of Nine, News Corp or Seven West Media to sign a content deal ahead of the introduction of legislation which would make it pay for news.
- Max Mason
ABC, SBS to be included in tech giants' content payments
The Greens and several crossbench senators have indicated they would not vote for the government's compulsory code of conduct legislation unless the public broadcasters are included in its revenue-sharing component.
- Max Mason
Most Australians back challenge to Facebook's 'free lunch'
Older Australians are much more concerned about technology giants paying media companies for their content, a new poll has found.
- Matthew Cranston
Media bosses urge government to act on code amid intense lobbying
Google and Facebook have devoted immense resources to lobbying parliamentarians since the draft media code was announced on July 31.
- Max Mason
October 2020
Google to pay $US1b for news, but Australia depends on ACCC code
The tech giant says it will pay $US1 billion to publishers over the next three years using its News Showcase product, but Australia will have to wait.
- Max Mason
September 2020
- Opinion
- Tech crackdown
Are we finally wising up to Big Tech?
The tech industry has never been great at taking criticism. Its response to any problem is to create a slew of new products rather than take a good hard look at itself.
- Max Mason