By Byron Kaye

SYDNEY – Monday’s announcement by a tech body supported by Australian units Facebook, Google, and Twitter was made after the threat of tougher legislation regarding false online comments.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week labelled social media “a coward’s palace” https://www.reuters.com/technology/australian-law-chief-wants-defamation-rules-fixed-internet-age-letter-2021-10-07, while the government said on Sunday it was looking at measures to make social media companies more responsible, including forcing legal liability onto the platforms https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-mulls-measures-making-social-media-giants-responsible-defamatory-2021-10-10 for the content published on them.

The issue of damaging online posts has emerged as a second battlefront between Big Tech and Australia, which last year passed a law to make platforms pay licence fees https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-media-idUSKBN2AO099 for content, sparking a temporary Facebook blackout in February.

Digital Industry Group Inc., which is responsible for the Australian units Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:), Alphabet, (NASDAQ:),’s Google Twitter Inc (NYSE) said that its misinformation oversight committee showed industry willingness to self-regulate in the face of damaging posts.

Sunita Bose (Managing Director DIGI) stated in a statement that tech titans have already reached an agreement on a code for conduct against misinformation.

The “Independent Complaints Sub-Committee”, consisting of three people, would resolve any complaints regarding possible violations of code conduct through a public site, DIGI stated. However, it would not accept individual complaints.

A code of ethics for the industry includes actions to combat misinformation about public health. This would also include the new coronavirus.

DIGI represents Apple Inc (NASDAQ 🙂 as well as TikTok. If a company is found to be violating the code of conduct, or has to revoke its status with the group, it may issue a public statement.

Reset Australia is an advocacy group that focuses on technology’s influence on democracy. It said the oversight panel was laughable because it did not impose any penalties, and the code was voluntary.

Reset Australia’s Director of Tech Policy Dhakshayini Soriyakumaran stated that DIGI’s code was a PR stunt due to the recent negative publicity surrounding Facebook. She also called for regulation.