Australian watchdogs create Digital Platform Regulators Forum

Four leading Australian watchdogs have formed the Digital Platform Regulators Forum (DP-REG) initiative to create greater collaboration and information sharing regarding the regulation if digital platforms.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), and the Office of the eSafety Commissioner have banded together under the new forum.

As the federal government runs multiple reviews on how to best regulate digital platforms, the DP-REG will offer an overarching focus to consider the best approach towards competition, consumer protection, privacy, online safety and data overlaps.

ACCC chair Rod Sims said digital platforms “have become an essential part of Australian life” but present “a range of challenges in terms of competition and consumer protection.”

“The forum will help to streamline our approach to the regulation of digital platforms in Australia, said Sims.

“Since the ACCC began examining digital platform services in 2017, we have observed harms to competition, consumers, and business users in a range of areas dominated by large digital platforms.

“Collaboration with other agencies who also have a role in regulating digital platforms is vital as we consider whether further regulatory reforms are needed to support competition and protect Australian consumers online.”

The DP-REG’s terms of reference [pdf] state it holds no enforceable rights and no decision-making capabilities, but rather “is intended to be flexible and recognise the limits of each member’s respective regulatory frameworks’.

The DP-REG will be led by a chair that will rotate every six months, with meetings to “occur once every 2 months”.