Four of Australia's digital platform regulators have joined forces setting up a national forum to improve information sharing and regulatory coordination to better address consumer harms and counter the collective market power and influence of Big Tech.
The Digital Platform Regulators Forum includes the Australian eSafety Commissioner, Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
A key focus of the forum will be considering how online safety, privacy and data protection, and competition and consumer protection, intersect when it comes to regulating services like internet search engines, social media platforms, private messaging services and online marketplaces.
"Each digital platform regulator in this forum plays an important and unique role in protecting Australians online, whether it's protecting their privacy, standing up for their consumer rights, or in the case of eSafety, protecting Australians from personal harms online," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
"Working together on a forum like this will help us all regulate this complex digital world more effectively, efficiently and coherently, by sharing information and coordinating our regulatory actions to counter the market power and influence of Big Tech and make sure they are holding up their end of the bargain when it comes to protecting the fundamental rights and safety of all Australians who are using their products.
"Ultimately, our common goal through the formation of this forum is the protection of all Australians online. This is a delicate balancing act where we want to prioritise protections without stifling innovation.
"As digital regulators, we face similar challenges but in different domains so working together in this way will help us take a more aligned approach to enable us all to regulate more effectively across a spectrum of potential harms. We want to ensure we're taking a joined up approach."
The new Digital Platform Regulators Forum will meet bi-monthly and employ a rotating chair system. Stakeholders from industry or elsewhere may be invited to observe meetings and contribute on issues relating to regulation of digital platforms.
