Australia: ACCC reports “holistic, dynamic reforms needed” to address digital platforms

On Friday, July 26, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) posted the final report of its Digital Platforms Inquiry.

The report contains 23 recommendations, spanning competition law, consumer protection, media regulation and privacy law, reflecting the intersection of issues arising from the growth of digital platforms.

“Our recommendations are comprehensive and forward looking and deal with the many competition, consumer, privacy and news media issues we have identified throughout the course of this Inquiry,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.

“Importantly, our recommendations are dynamic in that they will provide the framework and the information that governments and communities will need to address further issues as they arise. Our goal is to assist the community in staying up to date with these issues and futureproofing our enforcement, regulatory and legal frameworks.”

During the course of its Inquiry, the ACCC identified many adverse effects associated with digital platforms, many of which flow from the dominance of Google and Facebook.

These include:

• The market power of Google and Facebook has distorted the ability of businesses to compete on their merits in advertising, media and a range of other markets
• The digital advertising markets are opaque with highly uncertain money flows, particularly for automated and programmatic advertising
• Consumers are not adequately informed about how their data is collected and used and have little control over the huge range of data collected
• News content creators are reliant on the dominant digital platforms, yet face difficulties in monetising their content
• Australian society, like others around the world, has been impacted by disinformation and a rising mistrust of news.

The full report can be read on the ACCC website.

Full Content: ACCC

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.