Govt calls for voluntary standards for big tech platforms
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The news: The federal government is calling on digital platforms to develop voluntary dispute resolution standards by mid-next year, in response to a raft of problems highlighted by the competition watchdog.
The context: An ACCC report found Australian consumers and small businesses often struggled to resolve issues with digital platforms, with account suspensions or terminations, scam content, harmful apps and fake reviews fuelling potential disputes.
Treasury said it will also consult on the design of a potential ex ante digital competition framework in 2024, after the competition watchdog uncovered self-preferencing, exorbitant commissions and other anticompetitive behaviour from digital platforms like Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon.
What they said: "These digital platforms are often unavoidable ‘gatekeepers’ between Australian businesses and consumers, giving them huge influence across the whole economy,” ACCC Acting Chair Catriona Lowe said.
"The proposed reforms will ensure fairer and more transparent treatment of small and medium-sized businesses, allowing Australians to fully realise the benefits of participating in the digital economy. By promoting competition in these markets, the reforms will also provide consumers more choice, higher quality services, and fairer terms and conditions."
The sources: Treasury Media Release, ACCC Media Release
