Google, Facebook disinformation code slammed by Reset Australia

The search giant is reportedly working on restricting features, as a new disinformation code has been slammed by some.

Google is reportedly looking at how it can restrict some features from Australian users as legislation that would force digital platforms to pay for news heads to parliament this week.

A “secret project” aimed at circumventing parts of the proposed legislation has been taking up the time of Google’s engineers according to the Australian Financial Review.

The tech giant already threatened Australians over the proposed code in August, with warning messages on Google’s search and YouTube sites that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Rod Sims said were laden with misinformation.

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Google could be forced to pay news publishers for content. Picture: Lionel Bonaventure / AFP

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Google, one of the world’s biggest companies, warned users their data could be “handed over to big news businesses” and the proposed code would “put the free services you use at risk in Australia” in an open letter from local managing director Melanie Silva.

Meanwhile, a voluntary code to combat disinformation the company has entered into along with other giants like Facebook has been slammed by a “global initiative working to counter digital threats to democracy”.

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Facebook, Google and others have introduced a voluntary code on disinformation. Picture: Denis Charlet / AFP

Reset Australia, the local affiliate of the global Reset initiative, has said the voluntary code doesn’t provide any real protections for users.

“The platforms have just reheated an already failed approach, hoping we wouldn’t notice that it hasn’t worked overseas,” Reset Australia executive director Chris Cooper said.

A spokesperson for the lobby group that represents Google, Facebook and others told The Australian the code was “informed by learnings from international example such as the European Union Code of Practice on Disinformation”.

Mr Cooper said the code “offers no transparency around how the platforms profit from and perpetuate disinformation”.

“There is no independent oversight and no consequences for platforms that ignore the code,” Mr Cooper added, accusing the platforms of “trying (to) pass it off as a tough stance to what they hope is a gullible Australian audience”.

“Tech giants have created platforms that produce both mega-profits and serious societal problems,” Mr Cooper said.

“If they accept the profits, they must also accept the oversight.”

It’s expected the mandatory media bargaining code will be introduced to parliament on Wednesday.